Picton, Ont. school up for bid

The historic downtown of Picton, Ont., could be home to more residents.

After 65 years, Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board closed Queen Elizabeth School on Barker Street in June 2018. The students were subsequently moved to Prince Edward Collegiate Institute. A few months into the new school year, Queen Elizabeth School was declared surplus.

The 4.5-acre piece of land is located steps away from stores and restaurants in downtown Picton and the county has recently expressed interest in purchasing it.

“In our major settlement areas, opportunities to acquire parcels of land of the size of the Queen Elizabeth site are not often available to the Municipality,” the county wrote in a Jan. 10 staff report. “This property could provide the Municipality with a number of opportunities to address issues that would benefit the community including but not limited to the development of affordable and attainable housing,”

According to Neil Carbone, the director of community development and strategic initiatives, the municipality will consider the feasibility and impacts of different development opportunities if it gets the opportunity to bid on the property.

Carbone told Global News that the bidding amount is undetermined at this time. If the municipality or Prince Edward – Lennox and Addington Social Services is the highest-ranking agency that expresses interest, it would provide an opportunity to negotiate acquisition terms over a further 90-day period with the school board.

The municipality has not developed a specific time frame or plan for the property, according to Carbone.