STUART WOOD – Public invited to rally to save city’s iconic heritage school
Stuart Wood School. (Image: Mel Rothenburger)
Residents concerned about the future of Stuart Wood school are invited to a rally at the school yard on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 10 a.m.
City council’s recent vote to explore the school property as a potential site for a new police station would result in the demolition of the 120-year-old heritage building and the loss of a much-used playground and green space in the heart of the downtown.
Concerned citizens are appealing to anyone who cares about the school, heritage and culture in the city to join the rally. There will be speakers — Mel Rothenburger, Nancy Bepple, Ken Favrholdt and Greg Unger — as well as a chance for those who attended the school to share their memories, and for those who care about heritage to speak as well.
There will be ribbons to tie around the school fence and Halloween candy for kids.
The event is a grassroots initiative by individual citizens, but those who are interested are being invited to consider forming a Friends of Stuart Wood group to better co-ordinate efforts to save the school.
Opened in 1907, Stuart Wood was the third school in Kamloops and it is now the oldest surviving school in the city. Ownership has reverted back to the province since it closed in 2016 but the City of Kamloops and Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc signed a letter of understanding in 2019 around Stuart Wood to plan for its future, as well as to promote and protect cultural heritage sites.
Currently used as a shelter and meeting space, with the school yard used by downtown day cares, Farmers’ Market and families, Stuart Wood needs proper attention and soon, say rally organizers.
“The foundation is crumbling and heating/plumbing infrastructure is inadequate. Ten years have passed since the school closed, and the building has been left to deteriorate.
“The time to develop a firm plan for Stuart Wood’s future is now; given the complicated oversight of the building, it will take time for any work to move forward. This is not the first effort to save Stuart Wood, but there needs to be a commitment and action so that this will be the last.”
I certainly support the idea that was floated a short while ago about upgrading Stuart Wood School so that it could be opened as a school once again. If the provincial government will do this for a school at the coast and preserve heritage buildings there, surely it can be done here, too. I won’t be in Kamloops on Oct. 31, but I certainly support the idea of updating and renovating the building into a school again.
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