The renovation of the school will not take place in Grosses-Roches. Expert reports commissioned by the Gaspé municipality report problems in the foundations that could compromise the building’s long-term viability.
The administration of Mayor Jonathan Massé was considering converting the old school into municipal offices and a community center, a project that raised sometimes vehement opposition from a section of the community. The building, located in the heart of the village and surrounded by vast land, represented “incredible potential”, according to the elected official, but the project became senseless because of the weaknesses detected in the soil.
“Engineers and architects advised us against investing in the renovation of the school because in the long term, the foundations would deteriorate too quickly,” explains Mayor Massé. The repair of the foundation would have led to the replacement of the brick facing characteristic of the building built in 1949 and closed since 2013.
The future of the school now rests in the hands of the Monts-et-Marées School Service Center, which owns the building. “There will be meetings to see if the center has other projects,” assures Jonathan Massé. Demolition, already considered in the past, is one of the possibilities now that the state of the building requires considerable investment to ensure its long-term use.
Grosses-Roches now plans to convert the old municipal garage to house the town hall. This option, suggested by the former administration, does not, however, include a community centre.
“I would have been happy for us to go ahead with the renovation of the school, underlines the mayor. If it weren’t for the foundation’s problems, it was a very nice project that offered very nice possibilities. We are moving on to other things for the moment, but this terrain remains strategic. »
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