Buyer talks plans for old St. Mary's College site

Plans call for the former St. Mary’s College downtown site to reopen as a trade school, says one of the partners who purchased the property. 

“We are just trying to get things finalized, but that’s our whole purpose — to open it as a trade school,” said Blair McLeod, one of the partners who purchased the site.

Details are still being worked out, but McLeod hopes to open the as yet unnamed trade school within a few months.

The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board says the site sold for $100,000 in July and the board is currently in the process of moving to the new building on Second Line.

McLeod said plans have been underway for some time to open a trade school and he and his partners became interested in the property upon hearing of its closure.

He said the property, which previously housed Lakeway Collegiate and Vocational School, was attractive to the group because of its downtown location and classroom space.

McLeod said programs may include construction, auto body, auto mechanic and aircraft mechanic, among others.

John Stadnyk, director of education with the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board says it is fortunate they found a buyer for the former St. Mary’s College downtown site even before the new school opens next month.

“Our concern was leaving the building vacant — that can create a lot of problems,” said Stadnyk.

Sites which are no longer being used as schools cost money to maintain and can be prone to vandalism, Stadnyk said.

He said the estimated annual cost to maintain the building could be as high as $150,000, which would have come out of the board’s operational budget. 

Stadnyk said he hopes the new owners will breathe some new life into the old building, which was built in the 1920s.

“The new school is open for teachers and administration and will be open Tuesday September 8 for the first day of classes,” said Stadnyk.

(PHOTO: The former St. Mary's College location on Wellington Street East is pictured Wednesday. Darren Taylor/SooToday)