A decision on what to do with the West Richmond Education Centre is expected from council next month.
Richmond County council received a building assessment report, which placed the old school in “fair to poor condition”, said Warden Amanda Mombourquette.
The building has sat unused since 2013, but Mombourquette said it still has good bones.
“It’s definitely in need of some work to get it up to snuff, she said. “That being said, it’s a large facility and structurally, it is sound.”
It could potentially be used as housing or a medical facility, Mombourquette noted.
Council needs to make a decision on whether or not they’ll put out a tender for repairs on the building. That decision will be made at the regular council meeting on Dec. 20.
“It is looking very likely that we would do that but we wanted to allow some time for the contents of this report to make its way publicly, through our communities.”
That’s because council wants groups who may be interested in using the school to have an opportunity to read the report and express interest.
“We don’t want to keep it on the books for too long,” Mombourquette said. “The building has been abandoned for some time now and without heat in it, it’s not going to get any better.”
The building would require $1.6 million in updates and repairs in the first year.
