Central and Arthur Meighen Schools Closing

The Arthur Meighen and Central Public Schools are to be replaced by a new school to be built in 2009. The Ontario government will provide $4.8 million towards the cost of building the new facility.

The Avon-Maitland District School Board's application for the provincial grant was made in the spring. In the application, the Board suggested that a new facility on the high school grounds would be the most cost-effective, it would likely be two storeys, and students would use high school's small gym for physical education.

In 2005 elementary enrollment at St Marys Central was 193, Arthur Meighen 335 and South Perth Centennial 250. 318 students attended Holy Name of Mary Separate School. By 2015 enrolment is projected to decline at St. Marys Central by 4%, Arthur Meighen by 13%, South Perth by 39%.

South Perth Centennial will remain open. The board projects that over the next ten years $1.9 million will need to be spent on the South Perth building and $417,569 at the site.

St Marys Fair Ends

The November 10 meeting of the St. Marys Agricultural Society decided to end the St Marys Fair after 160 years. In recent years, the fair has lost money although the most recent edition broke even. There has been a continuing decline in attendance with last July's four-day event attracting about 3,000 people and the Ag Society has had difficulty in finding volunteers to help run the event.

St Marys Fair began as a one day fair in 1847. In 1971, the fair became a three-day event and moved from the Queen St. West Fairgrounds to the Flats. In 1987, the St. Marys Fair was moved to the St. Marys Community Centre.

The Kinsmen Club's beer tent is a money-maker and there is one year left on the contract for the midway rides so there is a possibility of a modified event taking place next year.

Remembrance Day

The annual St Marys Remembrance Day church service and parade will take place this Sunday, November 4.

This year the host church of the ecumenical service will be the Living Rock Church, a Pentecostal Assembly Church, and its pastor is Jim Williams. The service will be at 11:00am at the Arthur Meighen Public School, 151 Water St North.

Following the service at 12:15pm there will be a parade from the Royal Canadian Legion at Church and Station St. to the cenotaph. The cenotaph service will begin at 12:30pm.