How do you solve a problem like Q.E. Park School? The Town of Oakville is hoping to generate a solution by inviting the arts community to attend a meeting at the school on August 27 at 9 am.

Since Q.E. Park was closed in June 2004 and then purchased by the Town of Oakville in 2005, it has had minimal use by the community, save for the pool and some rental space.

But, the Town is hoping to change that by rejuvenating the site and taking a look at what the facility could be.

The Arts Council of Oakville and CommUnity Arts Space have thrown their hat in the ring by proposing that at least a portion of the school be dedicated to artists.

The Town and the Mayor are intrigued with the idea of turning the deserted school into a thriving arts focused community centre but they need your input.

According to Claire Loughheed, Manager of Culture and Heritage Service, Oakville needs the arts community to show up next Wednesday to tell the Town what they require in an arts facility.

“It doesn’t matter if you need it for storage, for work space, for performance space, for exhibition space, for teaching space.  If it is for a cultural purpose and they’re interested in space, then we would be delighted to welcome them as a part of this process,”

There are three possibilities that the Town has asked the architects, Shore Tilby and Irwin, to explore when revitalizing the site:
1.To demolish the building and re-build a 50,000 to 70,000 square foot community centre.
2.To demolish part of the building and refurbish what is remaining
3.To keep all 140,000 square feet (with nominal repairs for safety and longevity).

Right now the Town and the Arts community are leaning towards the third option.

“It is a phenomenal amount of space. So, if it is cheaper to retain a larger structure than to demolish it and build one half the size, why wouldn’t you keep the larger one if you have larger needs?” said Britta Martini-Miles, Executive Director of CommUnity Arts Space.

The CommUnity Arts Space has said that there is no facility like the one that they are proposing that is non-sports related within Oakville.

“A minor renovation program would make it almost immediately accessible were talking within maybe 12 to 18 months, It would allow those groups to actually start their programming for the next calendar year,” said Martini-Miles.

Oakville has six guilds including weavers, sculptors and wood workers, and there are 26 different groups that have expressed a definite interest in the space at Q.E. Park.

“The nice thing about QE Park is that there are lots of facilities already present. The old labs art still all there, the arts rooms are there, it has a little stage, it has green rooms, it has a lot of stuff already there that people would like to have,” said Martini-Miles.

There is another general community meeting being held at Q.E. Park School on Monday August 25.

For more information on Oakville Arts Council call 905-815-5977 or visit www.oakvillearts.com, or for more information on CommUnity Arts Space visit www.communityartsspace.ca.