On Tuesday, March 6th, in a 5-1 decision, Raymond’s Town Council decided to decline the offer they had been given from the Province to take possession of the Raymond School of Agriculture (aka the Raymond Care Centre). For more than a year, our group has worked hard to understand the true condition of these historic buildings and explore options that include saving them. The Province has delegated the responsibility for preserving local historic places to municipalities. As a result, we felt strongly that it was best for the Town of Raymond to direct a local open process into exploring the future of these buildings. We’re disappointed that Council passed on taking that role. Tuesday’s motion limits their voice in the future of the buildings. We see this as unfortunate.
In spite of our disappointment, we’re very optimistic that a deal will be made to save the building. The Province has paid for many assessments on these buildings and they all speak to their viability and lack of major environmental liability. We support AHS and the Ministry of Health continuing to work with interested private parties who want to see this building continue to survive and become a landmark in this community. We’ll continue to work with the Town, the Province and potential future owners to explore ways to ensure the historic integrity of these building are preserved.
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Any media seeking comment should contact Stewart Foss at (403) 715-5905.
NOTE: A few people have reached out to us to express interest in the property. We’re happy to speak with interested parties, but the building remains the property of AHS. We’d suggest they instead reach out to the Sherry Russell, Director, Real Estate & Leasing in the AHS South Zone at (403) 943-0919 or sherrylynn.russell@ahs.ca