Consultation promised for food bank ‘hub’

By GILLIAN SLADE on October 2, 2019.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade

Medicine Hat Public School Division is promising a high level of community consultation before a decision is made on a location for a “community hub.”

“Wherever the project ends up, if it ends up coming to fruition, the board would insist that consultation occur within the community in order to determine the level of support or opposition to the project placement,” said Mark Davidson, superintendent of schools.

Davidson recently revealed that the board had 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.

The food bank plans to build a 35,000 square-foot “Community Food and Wellness Centre” that would include facilities to prepare the brown bag lunch program, kitchens where people can prepare, cook food and even learn to cook. There will be gardens, a greenhouse and outdoors cooking facilities. Anyone could come for a meal and pay what they can. The estimated cost is $8.5 million.

A number of locations are being considered but Celina Symmonds, executive director of the Medicine Hat & District Food Bank, has declined to reveal those locations.

The school division has architectural drawings of a community hub design envisioned for the Ecole Les Cypres school building, 945 First Ave. SE, located next to Central Park.

Davidson says that location was simply used as a starting point for discussions. He says other sites are being considered. A key consideration is easy access for students who’d use the alternative learning opportunities there.

Related: Rezoning not required for possible ‘community hub’

“We’re at the beginning of a long road if this is ever to come to fruition,” said Davidson, noting they have not even established a budget yet for this phase. Only at the point where a “memorandum of understanding” is established would a budget be established. He estimates the time frame is “many months” away.

He says the board serves the entire community and would embark on consultation before doing anything that would change the shape of a community. He expects the consultation process would involve open houses, dialogue opportunities, sharing in the design process and an invitation for feedback on the ultimate shape of the physical structure.

“The board has indicated to me already that before they enter into any kind of formal agreement, to continue to commit to an end result, that the community, wherever that might be, would have to have ‘voice’ in the vision for that part of the community,” said Davidson, noting it would be similar to consultations when new schools are planned and built.

Spencer Schutte and Alison Jacques, homeowners on the Southeast Hill, say they specifically bought homes there because of the sense of community that is reminiscent of neighbourhoods in the 1950s where children run in and out of neighbours homes, neighbours frequently have meals together and some even go on vacation together. They have concerns a food bank in their midst would change that.

Symmonds has recently made a commitment to consult with the neighbourhood. She stopped short of saying there would be a vote but said she would knock on doors to hear directly from residents.

Schutte believes there should be an “independent” risk assessment done to determine the potential outcome of putting a food bank in the middle of a residential neighbourhood. That should be followed with a vote by property owners and residents in the neighbourhood affected.

If there is to be a joint project, Davidson feels, it would likely be all those participating who would engage in consultation.

“I don’t envision separate processes,” said Davidson.

There are benefits from a joint venture and these include reduced capital costs and reduced ongoing costs of ownership, said Davidson. Those benefits are eclipsed by the alternative learning opportunities and, he says, it is not only for students who have difficulty learning in a traditional setting but includes others who may simply prefer an opportunity in this setting.

Symmonds, in addition to being executive director for the food bank, is also a trustee of the school division. A presentation to the school division was made by the food bank “in camera” some months ago.

Davidson says Symmonds has not been involved at all and has not been present for any discussions relative to anything, any partnership, this one or others, between Medicine Hat Public School Division and the food bank.

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