Breslau residents will get their first look next month at a project that will add a new school and a host of changes to the park and community centre. As well as a JK-to-Grade 8 building that will replace St. Boniface Catholic Elementary School in Maryhill, the plan calls for a public library and improvements to existing township facilities, which will be shared with the new neighbour.
Among the changes proposed are improvements to Breslau Memorial Park as the township and Waterloo Catholic District School Board work on a shared-use agreement for the community centre, gym and playing fields. The Region of Waterloo Library is also involved, as plans call for a 5,000-square-foot shared-use library.
Plans, including preliminary designs, will be unveiled to the public at a meeting February 26.
Having voted in 2013 to close St. Boniface school, the board has been looking for a site in Breslau. Unused land adjacent to the park allows for the collaboration. John Shewchuk, the WCDSB’s chief managing officer, notes this is not a new formula for the board.
“In the past we have successfully partnered with the City of Kitchener on two community centres and one public library, and with the City of Cambridge on another public library,” he said in an email.
The province has provided the board with $5.3 million for the new project. The school will be built for 250 students, with a target of opening in 2018.
The proposed joint development is contingent on final approval from all three organizations, Shewchuk said, noting plans are still in the preliminary stage.
A public consultation and information night is scheduled for February 26, 7 p.m. at the Breslau Community Centre on Andover Drive.
