The Rocky Mountain Rangers have been granted school board approval to set up their military base of operations at the
former Meadow elementary school.
Trustees voted 6-1 at Tuesday's board meeting in favour of a recommendation from School District 57 to approve a five-year lease of the neighbourhood school for the Rangers light infantry regiment.
"I've lived in that community for 18 years and I did have some concerns but when the presentation was made to the board [at a public meeting Oct. 10], I'm confident they will make very good neighbours," said trustee Roxanne Ricard.
"It's better to have the building occupied. I'm confident there will be less coming and going during the day, when children are out and about because there were far more people occupying the building than when Northern Health was there Monday to Friday."
Ricard also has no fears about a barbed-wire fence proposed by the Rangers to secure a parking area for military vehicles.
"Children that can climb an eight-foot chain-link fence to get to the top where the barbed wire is know it's going to hurt if they try to get overtop of it," she said. "I don't believe it's a safety issue
whatsoever."
The Ranger unit will use the Meadow building for three-hour training sessions on Wednesday evenings and as a barracks during weekends for their out-of-town
operations.
Trish Bella was the lone trustee to vote against granting the Rangers' lease.
"It is a residential neighbourhood, not a light industrial or mixed-use area," said Bella.
"The plans was that weapons will be stored on the site and I am concerned about the gang presence in Prince George when that building is known as storing weapons or possibly ammunition.
"There must be other locations in Prince George to invite them to set up."
But trustee Rhonda White was reassured by Rocky Mountain Rangers lieutenant Seth Hunter that security on the site will be 10 times that of the RCMP.
"I believe this location is well-suited to the requirements of the Rocky Mountain Rangers and that it will suit the
neighbourhood well.
"I don't have any concerns regarding the temporary and short-term storage of weapons and ammunition at this
location."
Trustee Sharel Warrington said parents from the area heard at the meeting with Hunter the weapons won't be stored until they have secure locations.
She also reminded the board the Rangers have mentioned they would support building a playground at the site for
community use.
Responding to trustee Valentine Crawford's question of who would be responsible should the district need to re-open the school, secretary-treasurer Bryan Mix said that would be shared by the lease holder and the school district.
The board also voted 5-2 against a recommendation of the education services committee to discontinue bus service of 11 Heritage elementary students who live in Miworth to D.P. Todd secondary school, despite concerns over supervision of those students before and after school hours and the staff required to provide that
supervision.
A motion was then carried 6-1 to ask administration to consider extending bus route 17 to include a Heritage stop for the 2011-12 school year.
