Is Granite Ridge Written In Stone? Some Hope Not

Mar 14, 2013

Over 20 residents from North, Central and South Frontenac were bussed into Kingston on March 6 to attend the a meeting of the Limestone District School Board (LDSB) at the school board office. The residents made the trip in support of Jamie Riddell, a Mountain Grove resident who made a presentation to the LDSB's board of trustees. Riddell opposes the process that led to their choosing the name Granite Ridge Education Centre for the new school in Sharbot Lake.

In his opening remarks Riddell said that in his eyes, the process was "marked for failure right from the word go”. He said that the chosen name did not meet the needs of the people and was not on the original list of names put forth by the Naming Sub-committee.

Riddell wonders why Granite Ridge was added back to the list of names that was presented to the board, after the board appointed naming committee had eliminated it.

He also raised concerns about a certain mass email he and other residents received from Board Trustee, Ann Goodfellow, which he felt showed that the name was decided upon well in advance of the actual process that took place.

Riddell asked the members of the board, “Was the name Granite Ridge already picked and this process just a smoke screen to satisfy the board's version of a diplomatic process?” He continued, “Granite Ridge was the name the board wanted and it appears it was arbitrated from the word go. You as trustees should hold your heads low today since in my opinion you have violated a code of trust.”

He also cited a “a breakdown in communication between the board and the general public”, saying that the announcement of the final vote came much quicker than he or the public at large had anticipated.

Riddell also cited a recent school naming by the Ottawa School Board. He said that the Ottawa board opened up the name selection to all the families served by that school by holding an on line vote for the final name selection.

He also spoke of the historical significance of the name Sharbot. “Yes, it is the name of just one of the communities served by the new school but it holds past, present, and future significance and it is the name of the founder of that community, Francis Sharbot. I would have thought that this fact alone would have had more weight than the name of the rock (granite) that was in the end chosen but it seems I was mistaken.”

In closing Riddell asked the board to reconsider their final decision. “It's not too late to fix this. It's not too late to correct the process that was broken from the start and to repair the damage that has been done and to restore our faith in the decisions of the people we have chosen to represent us.” He added, “If the process had been completed fairly and transparently, I would be satisfied with the outcome of the chosen name but that was not the case.”

Board Director Brenda Hunter next made a Powerpoint presentation outlining the steps leading up to the final vote for Granite Ridge (as was outlined in Jeff Green's article “Granite Ridge Naming Debate Persists”, Feb. 28).

Both presentations received very little feedback from board members. Trustee Ann Goodlfellow stated that she has heard from both sides on the issue and felt “confident that all of the parties involved in the naming process had followed the proper guidelines and procedures and had acted fairly and responsibly” and that she “looked forward to now focusing on what is best for all of our students, who will greatly benefit from this wonderful new school”.

Her comment elicited some audible groans and laughter from many of Riddell's supporters. The only other question came from Trustee David Jackson, who wondered if there was any history of school names that included some kind of additional vocational name or sub-name below the actual school name.

Board Director Brenda Hunter said that off the top of her head she did not know of any in this district. Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski was present at the delegation and tried to address the board, but was rebuffed by Chair Helen Chadwick, citing the Board’s procedural bylaw.

Following Hunter's presentation all of Riddell's 25 plus supporters left the chambers. One supporter, Marcie Asselstine, left copies of a history of the Sharbot Lake community, which she invited the trustees to read.