The demolition of the original portion of St. Mary’s high school in Owen Sound is set to take place this Fall.
The tenders for the demolition project have gone out.
It will include the reconstruction of a faade that will resemble the architecture of the original school using materials from the building.
The Bruce Grey Catholic School Board says the demolition will cost more than a simple tear down because it involves salvaging pieces of the old school.
The faade is one of the concessions the Catholic Board agreed to after finally receiving Owen Sound Council approval for the demolition of the 120 year old wing.
It was a four year battle between the School Board and the City who had originally hoped to designate the 1891 school wing a heritage building.
Superintendent of Business Cathy Colton is relieved the end is near in this long drawn out battle.
She notes the old school wing was deemed prohibitive to repair and it just wasn’t economically feasible to keep it in use.
Demolition work may begin as soon as September and should be complete no later than October.
