Going, going, gone

Jeff Green | Jan 15, 2020

Sharbot Lake Public School was built in 4 stages over 45 years; in 1930, '46, '65, and '75, sort of like the Cadillac in the Johnny Cash hit One Piece at a Time from the 70's. Those original buildings were revealed while the fromer school was being torn down, also in stages, over a two week period that straddled 2019-2020.

The building has now been reduced to a pile of rubble, encased in the foundation of one of the additions, and is being crushed on site for removal to an offsite landfill.

The demolition will make the lot available to be re-purposed. Preliminary plans for two, 5-unit, affordable seniors housing buildings is being contemplated by Central Frontenac Township, but the details have yet to be ironed out.

The building was purchased by the township, along with the former Hinchinbrooke Public School in Parham, for $220,000 in November of 2015, and a decision to demolish it was made less than a month later.

The estimated cost of demolition at the time was $150,000, but 3 years and nine months later the township contracted out the job for $200,000.

The Hinchinbrooke school remains in place and it has not been slated for demolition, but attempts by a community group to repurpose it have thus far been unsuccessful.

Bricks from the old school (one per customer) are available at the Township Office in Sharbot Lake on a first come, first served basis