Rainbow board puts Long Lake Public School up for sale

A school parents fought to keep open back in 2010 has been declared surplus by the Rainbow District School Board.

The board's trustees voted Nov. 15, 2010 to close Long Lake Public School, effective September 2012. Trustees also voted at the same time to close Wanup Public School.

Parents involved in an accommodation review process looking at the board's South End Schools said they tried in vain to convince Rainbow to keep Long Lake open, suggesting options such as turning it into an outdoor education centre.

A little more than two years after the school closed, trustees voted Jan. 27 to declare the school surplus.

That means that it will first be offered for sale to other school boards, post-secondary institutions, and all three levels of government.

If none of the above-mentioned educational institutions or governments wishes to purchase Long Lake, Rainbow can then sell the school on the open market. All purchasers must pay fair market value.

Rainbow's director of education, Norm Blaseg, said the board typically holds onto its defunct school buildings for a few years to make sure they're not needed for another purpose.

“I think it was the right time,” he said.