NEWS RELEASE
TOWN OF BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY
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The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Council approved the purchase of a vacant school located at 177 Church Street.
Town Council and staff will be working with local organizations to determine the full scope of use of the building, which will include housing a variety of community and social services.
“Over these past six months, it has become increasingly obvious how crucial our local community services are, and how inadequate their current accommodations are,” says Mayor Rob Keffer. “Organizations that provide food, clothing and other support services to residents, including to our most vulnerable populations, were busier than ever before COVID-19 struck, and are now bursting at the seams.
“Throughout the pandemic the Town has worked to assist these agencies by providing a variety of temporary spaces, but that isn’t sustainable, particularly as the Town resumes our own programming,” Keffer adds. “The purchase of this property, which is in an ideal location close to downtown, will allow us to work with community services to provide ample, long-term space and improve their ability to help residents.”
The former Bradford Public School was built in 1951 and housed Fred C. Cook Public School and Chris Hadfield Public School before it was permanently closed and declared surplus by the Simcoe County District School Board in 2015. The building is approximately 28,000 square feet in size on a 3 acre parcel of land.
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