By Cecilia Nasmith
Anyone who ever went to CDCI West knows how important their West Field – a few blocks south of the school on the Lake Ontario shoreline – was to their athletic program.
With the West closed for several years now and the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board having deemed the parcel as surplus in October 2021, the board has entered into an agreement to sell the field (municipally located at 119 Durham St.) to the Town of Cobourg for $2-million.
At Monday's committee-of-the-whole council meeting, there was a lengthy discussion of the conditions and regulations surrounding the sale, including Ministry of Education and board requirements. The joint press release from the town and the school board set out these details, saying Ontario school boards are required to comply with Ontario Regulation 44/98 when disposing of surplus real-estate properties.
“This regulation establishes that notice be provided to other school boards, government agencies (municipal and provincial) and other provincial bodies, as prescribed by the Ministry of Education, identifying that the property has been deemed surplus and is available for purchase at fair market value,” Board Chair Diane Lloyd said.
“This property was surplus to our long-term needs in the area, and has been sold in accordance with provincial regulation to an interested agency, in this case the Town of Cobourg, for fair market value.
“We are pleased to join our municipal partner in this agreement that will ensure the property is available to the community.”
Council member expressed concern for the boardwalk and the ecology of the west beach lands adjacent to the former West Field. In the press release, the town said the land acquisition supports its mission to create places that protect, preserve and promote its natural heritage and recreational assets. By owning the land, the town acquires an important opportunity to influence how it is used.
“The purchase of the property located at 119 Durham St. is in line with the Town of Cobourg’s strategy to have a continuous boardwalk running east and west along the shore of Lake Ontario,” Municipal Clerk and Director of Legislative services Brent Larmer said.
“The Town of Cobourg has been working towards assuming assets along the shoreline to ensure we can keep the boardwalk in public hands.”
It is expected that, once the town has completed its due diligence, the sale will be completed prior to the end of the year.
