City council is going ahead with allowing Prairie South and Holy Trinity School Divisions to market and develop land around the joint-use school to be built on South Hill.

A motion was passed during a special in-camera executive committee meeting on Jan. 30 allow the school divisions to market and facilitate development on 34 acres of land worth $2.5 million. It went to a revote during city council of Feb. 10 and passed 6-1 with Coun. Crystal Froese opposed.

The land is in the Westheath phase five and six subdivisions, which the city had planned to develop.

“We had been in the process of developing this part of our city and now we are moving forward with allowing the school boards to act as a realtor or broker to actually sell the whole property at $2.5 million,” said Froese.

According to Froese, the amalgamated school would only need 10 acres.

Froese said, while she wants to see the school built, she was opposed because the process was unclear and she was unsure why the school divisions ended up with so much land.

“I am absolutely for this school, but I’m really struggling with why we are selling more property to the school division than they actually require,” she said.

Coun. Brian Swanson made clear that he recused himself from the site selection process at the school board level.

He was in favour of the motion because he felt that developing the subdivision was something the taxpayers don’t want to pay for. He added that council has made it clear that they have to respect the decisions made by other elected bodies.

“So this is really taking the property taxpayers off the hook for a school site decision made by the school divisions, which as we know, was not made in consolation with the city,” Swanson said.

The land is located at the end of Wellington Drive, just past Spadina Drive.