When Elizabethtown-Kitley Township announced it was seeking public input on the future of the former Frankville Public School, I found myself travelling back more than 50 years.
I was a little girl who walked through those doors for the first time in the early 1970s.
I attended Frankville Public School from Kindergarten through Grade 3. I don’t remember everything about those days, but some memories remain crystal clear. Mr. Baker was the principal, but I can’t remember even one teacher. My friends included the four Wilkinson sisters, with Shelley being closest to me in age.
Those were my formative years. I learned to read there and print my name. I learned to skate on the outdoor rink beside the school. I also learned that some of my classmates knew a lot more colourful language than I did.
In fact, I can probably trace my first exposure to a few choice swear words directly back to that schoolyard and some particularly creative peers.
There were bumps along the way, too. During one recess, I was flipped onto the pavement and cracked my head. Instead of skipping rope or playing hopscotch, I was apparently attempting gymnastics without the benefit of a mat. If the building is ever renovated, there’s a reasonable chance some of my skin cells are still embedded in the schoolyard somewhere from 1972.
Those are the kinds of memories old schools carry. They aren’t just buildings. They are containers for thousands of stories.
I hope council thinks carefully about what comes next.
The easy answer might be offices. The practical answer might be offices. But I wonder if there is an opportunity to do something more.
The school sits along County Road 29 between Brockville and Smiths Falls. Nearby are the AOG Art Gallery and its art-inspired walking trail. Bellamy Park Campground and the Kitley Grocer and Service Centre are not far away. A chip truck serves hungry travellers nearby, while a local gift shop draws visitors looking for unique treasures. Add in the Leeds-Grenville Paramedic Service station in Frankville and the fire station in nearby Toledo, and the old school occupies a unique place in the township, both geographically and emotionally.
What if the school became a place that brought all of those people together — residents, visitors, artists, cyclists, campers and travellers simply passing through?
What if it included community space, arts programming, workshops, local history exhibits and a small café where you could stop for a coffee? What if one classroom remained dedicated to the history of the school itself, preserving photographs, stories and memories from generations of students who passed through its halls?
We don’t have to look far for inspiration. The former Rideau Centennial Public School in Portland has found new life through a mix of uses, including an OPP detachment, a pharmacy and Recess Café. It’s a reminder that old schools can evolve while remaining part of the communities they once served.
What if the next chapter of Frankville Public School honoured the first?
I don’t pretend to know the right answer. Perhaps municipal offices are the best use. Perhaps a community hub makes more sense. Maybe someone has an idea nobody has thought of yet.
What I do know is that opportunities like this do not come along very often.
A former school sits at the heart of a community, waiting for its next purpose. I hope we think big before deciding what that purpose should be.
Because some buildings deserve more than a practical future. They deserve a meaningful one.
The township is inviting residents to help shape that future through two public consultation meetings at the former Frankville Public School, 231 County Rd. 29. The meetings are scheduled for June 15 at 1 p.m. and June 29 at 6 p.m. Residents who cannot attend in person can complete the online survey available at ektwp.ca/frankvilleproject.
Whether the answer is municipal offices, a community hub or an idea no one has imagined yet, I hope people take the time to share their thoughts.
After all, the next generation deserves the chance to make memories there, too.
