The South East Cornerstone Public School Division and the Town of Oxbow have entered into an agreement to do a little trading which should benefit both of them, said the school division trustees who approved the action during their June 29 meeting held in Weyburn.
The former Oxbow school’s green space and track will revert to the Town of Oxbow which will claim ownership for future development.
In return, the Town will pay for the paving of the parking lot and build two new long-jump runways and pits at the new Prairie Horizons School which was opened in the town about four years ago, leaving the former school and school grounds for community uses.
Cornerstone representatives stated the appraised value of the space the school division was no longer using following the move to the new location, was around $240,000 and the estimates for a completely paved parking lot in the new school grounds was valued at between $190,000 and $200,000.
“I see this as a win-win for both of us,” said trustee Kevin Keating. “It just makes sense. After all, we’d just be cutting the grass and removing the weeds at our expense on the old school grounds, without any benefit. This way the town can use some valuable property and develop it as they see fit. We’re not using it.”
The trustees put the motion, presented by Estevan trustee Janet Foord to make the swap official, on the floor, and it passed unanimously pending approval from the Town of Oxbow and the Ministry of Education, which they understood, were not going to hinder the transaction.
