Zorra Council Looking to Explore Co-Build Projects with County and School Board

ZORRA COUNCIL LOOKING TO EXPLORE CO-BUILD PROJECTS WITH COUNTY AND SCHOOL BOARD

At the March 1, 2023 meeting of the Council of the Township of Zorra, a resolution was passed directing staff to collaborate with the Thames Valley District School Board, Oxford County Library, and the County of Oxford to develop a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate exploration of multi-service co-builds for the following projects:

• a new joint Thamesford District Recreation Complex including a junior kindergarten to grade 8 school and a public Library in Thamesford; and,
• a new joint community space and/or public library and classroom addition to the AJ Baker Public School;
• commits to exploration of a possible multi-service co-build before any closure, expansion, or consolidation of Zorra Highland Park P.S. is considered;
• and that all multi-service co-builds permit public access to all community spaces in the school buildings, and school access to all municipal facilities and community spaces.

Staff have been directed to circulate the resolution to all parties mentioned, as well as Ernie Hardeman, MPP for Oxford County; the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; and the Minister of Education.

Mayor Marcus Ryan initiated this direction by presenting a Notice of Motion during the meeting, which was seconded by Ward 4 Councillor Crystal Finch. All other Councillors voted in favour of passing the resolution.

Mayor Ryan said “Our schools are vital to the future of our communities. Schools, libraries, recreation and community spaces are in fact ALL community spaces and they are all paid for by the same people. Whether it’s libraries, recreation spaces, or schools, we need to maximize the community use of the facilities our communities pay for. Where there are institutional barriers to that, it is our job to break them down and ensure effective and efficient use of tax dollars to maximize service delivery.”

Deputy Mayor Katie Grigg added “Inflation has created increased pressure on municipalities, school boards and the Ministry of Education to find efficiencies in order to deliver on our respective mandates. This Memorandum of Understanding is a commitment to exploring how we can best leverage collaboration through co-builds to benefit our communities without compromising on the service levels our residents experience. While this is not a commitment to a specific project, it is an exciting and foundational step in having meaningful dialogue to explore what is possible.”