Site of demolished Gleichen school being secured

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Wheatland County is working to decommission the site of the former school in Gleichen, including the removal of playground equipment that is potentially dangerous.

The Central Bow Valley School in Gleichen was closed in 2016 and subsequently demolished in 2019. After its demolition, the title of the site was transferred from Golden Hills School Division to Wheatland County in September 2020.

Now, the county is working to secure and maintain the site, as staff reported during Wheatland County council’s Oct. 20 regular meeting.

The playground equipment on site was assessed by a third-party playground inspector, who found that it does not meet Canadian Standards Association (CSA) safety standards. In response to this finding, the playground is slated for removal.

County personnel did a site inspection on Sept. 23 and determined several features there should also be removed. These include perimeter fencing found to be in poor condition, as well as post and chain fences that no longer serve a purpose. Some of these fences have been removed already.

The future use of the site will be determined by the county through a strategic assessment (e.g. looking at zoning, other restrictions), community engagement, and by weighing any proposals against policy, said Matthew Boscariol, general manager of community and development services.