NEWS PHOTO GILLIAN SLADE
Mark Davidson, superintendent of schools for Medicine Hat Public School Division, is shown in this Sept. 19, 2019 file photo. The school division is promising a high level of community consultation before a decision is made on a location for a "community hub." The public school board has entered into a partnership with the food bank to explore the creation of a “community hub” that would include the food bank and alternative learning facilities.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
The Medicine Hat Public School Division has entered into a partnership with the Medicine Hat & District Food Bank Association to explore the creation of a “community hub.”
Mark Davidson, superintendent of schools, emphasized it was simply to “explore” the possibilities at this stage. He says a community hub has the potential to provide learning opportunities for students who do not do as well in a traditional environment.
The food bank revealed plans a few months ago to build a 35,000 square-foot “Community Food and Wellness Centre” that would help to expand programming. The facility would include a place to prepare the brown-bag lunch program and kitchens where people can prepare and cook food, or learn to do either. There will be gardens, a greenhouse and outdoor cooking facilities.
It would be a place for everyone, says Celina Symmonds, executive director for the food bank. Anyone could come and learn to cook and pay what they can. Anyone could come for a meal and pay what they can. The project is estimated to cost $8.5 million in terms of initial capital investment.
Symmonds says the school division’s announcement is an “exciting” development with potential benefits for students who would gain skills.
She says there is no doubt plans are beyond the original concept of a food bank providing food for those in need.
“It’s a community centre … The food bank isn’t enough anymore. We need to be looking at generational poverty,” said Symmonds.
How an alternative learning environment within a “community hub” would look like for the school division, depends on the ideas to be explored, says Davidson. There are many opportunities to gain credits for career technology studies. These could include aspects of health care and food preparation.
Davidson says there is no timeline for the partnership to explore the options because it would partly depend on who the other partners are. This would also affect potential financial partnerships in terms of construction and ongoing operation costs.
A few months ago, the food bank made an “in-camera” presentation to the school division.
Symmonds says no decision has been made about a location for the Community Food and Wellness Centre. She says the traditional aspects of the food bank would continue at a new location.
“We’ve looked at several places in the community and once we’ve decided on a location we would consult the community about that location,” Symmonds said in August.
Jase Cowan, chair of a recently formed Community Group for the Southeast Hill, says he is concerned that decisions will be made about a location before the community has an opportunity to contribute.
“We want to make sure everything is transparent,” said Cowan.
Rumours have surfaced that the Ecole Les Cypres school building – located next to Central Park on the Southeast Hill – is being considered or even already chosen.
Davidson said no decision has been made on this location yet. He says Alberta education owns the building and it will be demolished after the French school moves to its new location. At that stage the land would be returned to the school division. There is still the potential for the school division to build another building on that site for its use, perhaps as an alternative learning school.
“Were that the case they would engage in public consultations,” said Davidson.
Symmonds happens to be a trustee of the public school division. Cowan says there are concerns about a possible conflict of interest.
Davidson says Symmonds has not been involved.
“Trustee Symmonds is not present for any discussions relative to anything, any partnership, this one or others, between Medicine Hat Public School Division and Medicine Hat food bank,” said Davidson. “Trustee Symmonds has never been part of a conversation in camera.”
Symmonds concurs.
“I of course have been completely separate from any school board discussions whatsoever because I have excused myself from those discussions,” said Symmonds.
Symmonds has confirmed the food bank is reaching out to other organizations to partner with as well.
“In order to explore it we have to be able to tell the public that we’re looking at it and get people to come to the table,” said Symmonds.
