The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has bought -- and sold -- the former St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School in Chatham.
The $400,000 sale and purchase were approved Monday night by trustees on the St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SSCDSB) and the municipal council at their public meetings. Mayor Darrin Canniff said the site will be used as housing.
“The creation of housing continues to be important in Chatham-Kent and I’m glad to see an existing building find a new use that will serve our community well for generations,” said Canniff.
The school was quickly sold to Apollo Property Management. The municipality said this two-stage transaction was necessary because the process for the sale of surplus school properties requires the board to sell the school to a public agency. The municipality has been searching for a new permanent homeless shelter but a report presented to council Monday night determined that St. Joseph School was no longer necessary for a municipal purpose after negotiating with Apollo for two months.
CAO Don Shropshire told Blackburn News last week the municipality still hasn't found a location for the new homeless shelter to meet all the requirements, including space and affordability. Shropshire also acknowledged the need for the homeless shelter because convention centres are allowed to reopen under Phase 3 of Ontario's economic recovery plan. The John D. Bradley Convention Centre in Chatham currently hosts the temporary homeless shelter. Shropshire said it's not "conducive " to share space at the Bradley Centre when the business reopens. It's unclear when the Bradley Centre will reopen.
Under Ontario law, school boards are required to offer any property which has been declared surplus to preferred agents, including municipalities, before it can be placed on the open market. The St. Joseph Catholic School property was declared surplus to the SCCDSB's needs on September 24, 2019. The property was offered to preferred agents on November 13, 2019 and the board received an expression of interest from the municipality on February 11, 2020. The school board said the school sold for fair market value as assessed by the board’s real estate agent and appraiser.
“We have an excellent relationship with our municipal partners and are pleased whenever surplus Board property can be re-purposed to fill a new role in the community,” said John Van Heck, chair of the board.
The closing date for the sale and purchase agreement is July 31, 2020.