Community hopes to see revitalized green space after school's demolition
CBC
As the City of Calgary prepares to demolish a former elementary school in a southwest community, local residents hope a key space can be revitalized.
Kingsland School closed in 2007 after 49 years of classes. The Calgary Board of Education then used the building for administrative purposes until 2019, before moving out.
The building, near the corner of 75th Avenue and Fifth Street S.W., was put under the city's control in 2021. It has sat empty since.
An assessment of its condition found extensive roof damage and mould. It determined the building was unsafe for habitation, and repairing the structure wasn't financially feasible.
The building and its two aging playgrounds will be coming down this summer, although a demolition permit has not yet been issued.
The president of the Kingsland Community Association, Charlotte Quickel, said they're pleased the city intends to keep the school site and its playing fields as green space.
She noted Kingsland has less green space than the city average.
"Green space is obviously very important to the community," said Quickel. "Preserving every bit of what we've even got is critical. So I think for us, we really look forward to hopefully working with the city to reimagine the site."
The city has committed to leaving the existing sports fields in place.
Quickel said they'd like to see a new playground built but the plan is to get together a community working group to talk about other enhancements.
"Playgrounds, trees, benches, pathways — generally everything revolving around it remaining as a park and as a green space, but what we could do to enhance it for the community."
She said Kingsland's population has been on the upswing in recent years with new residential buildings going up on its east and northern sides.
For her, it makes sense that the green space get some attention as it can be a central gathering space for more people.
The area's city councillor, Kourtney Penner, said the community's wishes make sense and she's looking forward to the outcomes from public engagement.
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