Media Release: Stratford High School Decision A Positive One
Posted on 12/03/2019
Image of classroom with desks

Stratford High School Decision A Positive One

 

For Immediate Release:  December 3, 2019


The Town of Stratford is thrilled to see that a new high school, to be located within the Town of Stratford, is included in government’s five year capital plan presented earlier this month.

“The construction of a high school is a top priority for residents and council,” said Stratford Mayor Steve Ogden. “We thank government for confirming this essential infrastructure for the fastest growing community in the province”.

The Town has proposed to locate the school on a community campus with other recreational and cultural infrastructure to make the best use of tax dollars for students and community members. “From our 2019 Annual Resident Survey the community campus ranked high on the list of capital spending priorities for the Town,” added Mayor Ogden.  Public consultations were held earlier in 2019 to engage residents, the business community and stakeholders on their needs and wants for a community campus in Stratford.

“The public have embraced the community campus concept” said Stratford Councillor and Chair of the Community Campus Planning Committee Jill Burridge. “They have brought forward excellent ideas and suggestions through the various engagement methods employed.”

Since the public consultations concluded, the Community Campus Planning Committee have reviewed the public engagement process results, consultant advice and best practices from other communities, and have issued a summary report with the proposed elements in a community campus. Some common themes emerged throughout all of the consultations around the need for space that is designed to be flexible so that facilities can be used for multiple purposes and serve a variety of functions as the user needs change. It was also made clear that in the design stage the Town’s values should be reflected by including sustainable features in the design and operation, facilities that are accessible for all and that shared spaces between various user groups be at the forefront of the overall concepts to maximize their use and the investment of taxpayers.

The completion of the community campus is a long-term project for the Town of Stratford with many elements dependent on funding becoming available. The Town is currently working towards acquiring land for the community campus, with the advice of the consultants hired, and have narrowed down the original four sites to two with purchase options on these sites underway.

The summary report of the engagement process undertaken in 2019 is now available below.

-30-

For more information please contact:

Wendy Watts, Community & Business Engagement Manager
Phone: (902) 569-1995
Email: [email protected]

Printable version: Media Release - Stratford High School Decision A Positive One (December 3, 2019).pdf

Stratford Community Campus Report