Crews work to prepare 51 Dunlop Street for demolition
October 19, 2021 – As members of the community are aware, the Town of Penetanguishene has completed the purchase of property located at 51 Dunlop Street – the site of the former Penetanguishene Secondary School.
While the initial site inspections prior to the purchase lead the Town and the Town’s third-party appraiser to believe the facility is in relatively good condition, the building condition assessment report suggested that interior and exterior components of the building needed extensive works completed over the next 5-10 years estimating $14,100,000 (5 years) and an additional $14,780,000 (10 years).
After careful consideration of all factors, including the sentimental value of the building, Council made the informed decision to proceed with demolition of the building costing approximately $1,500,000, inclusive of pre-demolition survey and specification work, as well as contract administration.
Beginning today, Budget Demolition who was recently awarded the contract, will be working in the building doing general, non-abatement related clean-up. During this time, Budget Demolition will be setting up the perimeter fencing to control access to the site.
General clean-up will take approximately two weeks to complete, with an additional 4-6 weeks to complete abatement.
“The significance of this property and memories it holds for our community members were not forgotten during this process. Town Staff did an exceptional job at hosting two PSS Memorial Walk Throughs to allow those interested a moment to say farewell” says Mayor Doug Leroux.
This event also provided community members with the opportunity to request items from the building, that otherwise would be demolished with the structure.
“The uptake on item requests was astonishing. Staff received over 160 requests for items in the building. Although we did receive many duplicate requests, we are hopeful that everyone will be able to acquire at least one token of memorabilia. The rest of the contents have been offered to local charity organizations in an effort to reduce waste” says Sherry Desjardins, Director of Recreation and Community Services.
The Town will continue to work with members of the community when considering the Town’s possible next steps for the use of the property. Details and updates on future consultation in the Spring of 2022 will be posted on the Town Public Notice Site, and through connectpenetanguishene.ca.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Jeff Lees, CPA, CGA
Chief Administrative Officer
Town of Penetanguishene
jlees@penetanguishene.ca
705-549-7453
Sarah Marshall
Communications and Technology Coordinator
Town of Penetanguishene
smarshall@penetanguishene.ca
705-549-7453
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Crews work to prepare 51 Dunlop property for demolition - FINAL