Pictou County school closed down in 2012 due to sickening smellsPublished Apr 16, 2025 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 3 minute readFormer Westville Councillor Bernie Murphy, Councillor Sarah MacKinnon, Dianne Kelderman, CEO of the Nova Scotia Co-operative Council, Lennie White, Mayor of Westville and former Councillor Clarrie MacKinnon stand in front of the Highland Consolidated School in Westville in 2024. Sarah Jordan Photo by Sarah Jordan /Sarah JordanIt’s looking good for the future of a stinky old school, sitting abandoned for over a decade.After a public hearing on April 10, the council in Westville, Pictou County, voted to adopt new zoning regulations and a development agreement for the old Highland Consolidated School.The agreement is with the Nova Scotia Co-operative Council, which intends to renovate the building to create at least 65 apartments. The municipality is selling the land to the co-operative council for $1.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content A design image for a proposed housing development for the former Highland Consolidated School in Westville. Photo by ContributedWhile there are other construction projects underway in town, Mayor Lennie White said this is the game-changer, the one that “will get us going in this town of Westville.”STRANGE SMELLBack in 2012, students and staff reported strange smells that were making them sick with rashes and headaches. A report from the school board indicated the majority of the odour was coming from the debris from renovation work done on the roof, but there was also water damage, mould and sewer gas leakage. It would cost too much to fix, so the students were moved to another school.In 2014, the school board handed keys to the town. They were stuck with it as it was too expensive for the municipality to tear down. They’ve tried over the years to get something going there.In 2017, the town got ownership back from developer Jim Barkley, who failed to deliver on building an apartment complex and small commercial units on time. And a year later, three youths were arrested after a fire broke out in the building.Article contentSean Day, the town’s planning and development officer, said this is different from all the other attempts to repurpose the site.“We’re confident that now we’re in a better position for a whole number of reasons, largely because of the context we’re in right now, but also because we’ve got a really good partner on this project,” he said at the April 10th meeting.Something needs to be done because after 11 years, the building is only getting more dilapidated and vandalized, and it’s a liability for the town that will need to be demolished at some point. The Highland Consolidated School in Westville has sat empty since 2012 when students and staff were moved out of the building because of strange smells that were making them sick. Photo by Town of Westville“It is, however, affording housing to several animals currently,” Day said.Dianne Kelderman, CEO of the co-operative, said they are “110 per cent committed to this project.” She said they’ve spent $30,000 already on environmental assessments and appraisals.“We’re fully in, and I think this will be an exciting project and legacy for Westville.”RESTORATION AND HOUSINGThe proposal involves a restoration of the school building, at least 65 apartment units, a daycare and and small commercial spaces on a 3.2-acre parcel of the 21-acre site. It’s a $12-$15 million project. Article contentDay said there could be other housing units built in future outbuildings as well.“There are discussions about community gardens and a green roof,” he said. “We’ve also made provisions to allow solar panels anywhere you can put them on the site.”Kelderman added that there will be a community room in the middle of the building, “and we’ve decided to call it the Pigeons’ Nest” to honour the building’s current residents.One Westville resident told the council that this is “a big, big deal” for the town.OTHER DEVELOPMENTS – LONG-TERM CARE?Beyond the housing development, there is still plenty of room on the 21-acre site for more development, explained Scot Weeres, the town’s chief administrative officer, including a long-term care facility.He recommended changing the zoning from institutional and residential to a comprehensive development district. This gives the town the ability to undertake multiple development agreements on the site. For example, he said, if the province announced a request for proposals for a long-term care facility in the next few weeks, the town would want to have a development agreement with an operator ready to go.“It’s a real step in ensuring that on an ongoing basis, the residents of Westville have an opportunity to understand and voice their opinions of all future development on that 21-acre site,” he said.“There will hopefully be development on that site over the coming years, and each time a new development happens there, there will have to be a public hearing.”After a two-week appeal period and all the documents are signed, the co-operative council will have eight months to start construction and it needs to be substantially completed in two years.Article content
Big, big deal: Housing development to restore broken-down Westville school site
