Vineland school group protest heritage schoolhouse destruction

A crowd gathered early Saturday in Vineland to protest the start of work they say destroys part of the community’s 120 year-old schoolhouse.

The “Friends of Vineland Public School group says the District School Board of Niagara has repeatedly failed to recognize the building’s heritage.

They say the board had workers set up scaffolding and fencing under the cover of darkness, so they could begin tearing the face of the schoolhouse early Saturday.

Brett House of the group says it’s a case of tragedy by bureacracy.

“So what’s happening here is a new school is getting built behind and were asking the school board simply to preserve a 120 year old one room original schoolhouse. And they say that they value history and heritage and preservation but that saving would require a change in their site plan and that would have to be approved by the town council. And so that’s why they’re dragging their heels. The town council says we’d be happy to approve a change in the site plan we need a request from the school board. So it’s a classic case of the school board and the town council shirking their responsibilities and passing the buck.”

The group says the schoolhouse can be preserved and they’ve shown how.

They say the rescue project can’t wait until December when the new Lincoln Council takes office.