Hamilton students to relocate for 2 years as school undergoes $15 million reno

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Published March 30, 2022 at 11:02 am

Sherwood Secondary School will get a much-needed update over the next two years. (Google Earth image)

Sherwood Secondary School students will be relocating for the next two years as their east mountain school undergoes extensive renovations.

At a meeting on Monday (March 28), trustees for the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) endorsed a plan to temporarily move students to the site of the former Barton Secondary School as renovations at Sherwood get underway in earnest.

“This was not an easy decision, but it was clear that the community wanted Sherwood to stay open on its current site,” HWDSB Chair Dawn Danko said in a press release.

“There were many factors to consider, including the voices of the Sherwood community, which helped us make a better decision.”

In 2012, HWDSB voted to build a new school at the Sherwood site but a series of roadblocks and funding denials from the Ministry of Education stalled the plan.

In the last decade, $2.5 million has been spent on upgrades at Sherwood but it’s not been enough to bring the ageing facility up to modern standards and there is extensive asbestos abatement that still needs to be completed at the school.

The fate of Sherwood made headlines last week as students at the school, worried that the school would close for good, staged a walkout to air their concerns.

The board also engaged in a robust community engagement campaign which elicited thousands of responses from the community.

The three options under consideration for the Sherwood site presented to the public include:

  • Status Quo – school remains on the current site with no significant changes to the building – limited renewal work, limited secondary benchmark projects.
  • Temporarily move students to Barton site in September 2022, perform renewal and secondary benchmark work at Sherwood site and move students back when work is complete.
  • Perform renewal and secondary benchmark work at Barton site and move students permanently to Barton site when work is complete.

Trustees endorsed the second option at Monday’s meeting, which means that the at least $15-million project will get underway in July and students will move to the Barton site, at 75 Palmer Road, in September.

A second motion, introduced Monday by Trustee Kathy Archer, who represents the ward in which Sherwood is located, was passed to ensure that students remain on the former Barton site as briefly as possible. The motion called for the formation of a ‘Transition Committee’ to help staff and students navigate the move.

To learn more about the plans for Sherwood Secondary School, visit the HWDSB’s website.

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