Immaculate Heart of Mary School has been at the same location for almost a century

Immaculate Heart of Mary School - Relocation Project Report
updated November, 2009

The below points are a general summation of the major initiatives accomplished for the IHMS relocation project thus far. If greater detail is required please do not hesitate to contact the school at (204) 582-5698 or ihms@ihms.mb.ca
Items that appear in red have been accomplished within the past year.

May, 2005 - IHMS Board of Trustee representatives meet with members of the SSMI Council. Blessing from Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate to proceed with relocation project is received.

June, 2005 - IHMS Board of Trustee representatives meet with His Excellency Bishop David Motiuk and His Grace, Most Reverend Michael Bzdel, CSsR. Blessing from His Grace to proceed with school relocation project is received.

June, 2005 - IHMS Board of Trustee representatives meet with former Immaculate Heart of Mary School building committee to inform them of relocation project.

June, 2005 - Public announcement is made regarding Immaculate Heart of Mary School relocation project.

July, 2005 - IHMS Centennial Fund is established with all proceeds earmarked for the relocation project.

October, 2005 - St. Nicholas / IHMS Alumni list is established to canvas support from former students for ‘relocation project’.

November, 2005 - First ‘Town Hall Meeting’ is held in the IHMS gymnasium to solicit the thoughts of the community on the relocation project and to generate interest from people to serve on the ‘relocation committee’.

January, 2006 - Second ‘Town Hall Meeting’ is held in the IHMS gymnasium to solicit the thoughts of the community on the relocation project and to generate interest from people to serve on the ‘relocation committee’.
major points of discussion at Town Hall meetings
keep the school located in the north Winnipeg vicinity
seriously explore the option of a grades K-12 campus
expedite the relocation process as much as possible
concern about the cost of the project

March, 2006 - IHMS Board of Trustees draft a list of ‘tasks to be addressed’ of which includes:
review criteria for new school
do an analysis of existing school
investigate the alternative of buying an existing facility and converting it to a school
investigate the alternative of acquiring land and building a new school
investigate how this project will be financed
based on the above findings develop a business plan and timeline to present to the IHMS Board of Trustees

March, 2006 - IHMS Board of Trustees draft a skill set for potential ‘relocation committee’ members of which includes:
legal background
finance background
engineering / architecture / construction background
real estate / development background
teaching / school administration background
parental perspective
political acumen
advertising / public relations background
Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate

April, 2006 - IHMS Board of Trustees finalize the ‘tasks to be addressed’ and a terms of reference for the ‘relocation committee’.

April, 2006 - Correspondence is sent to the school community informing them of ‘tasks to be addressed’ for relocation project.

April, 2006 - IHMS School Administration meets with Sr. Junia Kunanec, Provincial Superior, SSMI to inform her of progress on relocation project.

May, 2006 - Community meeting is held to discuss ‘tasks to be addressed’ and to form a ‘relocation committee’.

June, 2006 - Community meeting held:
‘school requirements committee’ presents report on ‘requirements and wishes’ of a new school
‘finance committee’ presents report on costs and implications for school relocation
‘existing building committee’ to keep pulse on progress of potential existing facility that may come available in north Winnipeg

June, 2006 - IHMS Board of Trustee representatives meet with His Excellency Bishop David Motiuk and His Grace, Most Reverend Lawrence Huculak, OSBM to provide progress report on relocation project.

October, 2006 - Community meeting is held to discuss progress of information gathered over the summer months.
committee will continue to explore vacant land
committee will continue to explore existing buildings
committee will explore capital campaign alternatives
committee will acquire appraisal of existing school building

October, 2006 - Relocation committee tours Eastview Community Church complex and property (north perimeter highway) as a potential relocation site.

November, 2006 - IHMS School Administration meets with SSMI Council for permission to proceed with a conditional offer to purchase on the Eastview Community Church complex and property. SSMI grant permission to proceed with conditional offer.

December, 2006 - Community meeting to review research completed by various committees. Committee reports will be forwarded to IHMS Board of Trustees.

April, 2007 - IHMS Board of Trustee representatives tour a Winnipeg School Division building (Sir Sam Steele School) that has come up for sale. After inspecting the structure, mechanical and electrical, and reading the literature of the building, it is deducted the building is too old and would not serve our purposes. There are portions of the building that are rated as ‘historical’.

March, 2007 - The IHMS Board of Trustees convene a special meeting at which the agenda is dedicated to the topic of the school’s future location. The information compiled by the various committees is reviewed. As the alternatives are considered, the crossroads always seem to meet at:
1) the cost of the venture,
2) the school’s potential fund raising capacity for this capital project.

May, 2007 - The IHMS Board of Trustees are carefully considering quotes from two companies that can provide a projection of the school’s fund raising potential for a capital campaign.

May, 2007 - IHMS Board of Trustee representatives are communicating with City of Winnipeg public officials regarding the possibility of IHMS staying where it is and creating a campus type environment by acquiring adjacent properties and closing streets / back lanes.

May, 2007 - IHMS Board of Trustees has sent correspondence to public school divisions requesting information regarding the potential closing of public schools. Replies from the various school divisions indicate that any schools that would be closing would be older schools with buildings that would require significant renovations and upgrades.

June, 2007 - After extensive research and analysis the IHMS Board of Trustees conclude the option of staying at the existing location is eliminated. In brief ... due to significant costs and declining enrolment concerns due to inner city location, this option is not viable.

June, 2007 - The Eastview Community Church is taken off the market and eliminated as a potential relocation site.

July, 2007 - Parcels of vacant land in north Winnipeg are researched. Ten potentials sites are identified. From these ten sites, the options are reduced to three. Some of the sites were cost prohibitive, not serviced, or too small.

July, 2007 - Three properties are researched and visited. The three that have merit are:
a) 2320 Main Street (the land west across Main St from the Chief Peguis overpass) – 3.9 acres - owned by the City of Winnipeg – the City is are willing to lease for 40 years (the time frame expected for the extension of the Peguis Trail) – interesting location but would not make sense to invest such a large amount onto a property we do not own.  
b) Ferrier Street (off Templeton) – east side …. 6.7 acres with two facilities (6,200 and 5,300 sq. ft – not really useable for the school so would have to be demolished and hauled away) - cost $438,000 – interesting property but would require noted demolition and is not serviced for water and sewer
Ferrier Street (off Templeton) – east side ... 7 acres – clean site – zoned industrial - city access road on west and north sides of property – private sale – with sewer and water to property – cost $420,000 – potential to subdivide components to 2 other parties interested in small parts of the property
some negatives – is in an industrial area with cement pipe plants to the north west and south but the area can be nicely bordered with trees to block out the ‘industrial look’ (already lots of trees there) – Ferrier Road is a little rough, but this could possibly be upgraded by the city if a school was going in the area –
some positives – nice large property – lots of space for a school, large parking lot and large green area – bordered on east by railway tracks with low use (restricts encroachment of any east property use) – close to current IHMS, only 4 to 8 minutes north on McGregor – nice traffic flow into area – good seclusion – a lot of new middle to upper income housing going up immediately west of Ferrier road and as well to the north east – clean lot that would require minimal cleanup and no demolition – accessible sewer and water to property – close proximity (walking distance) to Vince Leah Community Club and the potential use of facilities there

September, 2007 - A parcel of property, approximately 4 acres, on the south east corner of Templeton Avenue and McGregor Street (owned by the City of Winnipeg) has come up for sale. The property is researched and a decision is made by the IHMS Board of Trustees to submit a bid (not to exceed $350,000) to the City of Winnipeg.

October, 2007 - A verbal offer and agreement is made to a private vendor on the Ferrier Street property. There is an agreed purchase price and the sale is conditional upon SSMI approval, and an environmental study.

November, 2007 - Correspondence from the City of Winnipeg is received indicating the bid submitted from the school, on the 4 acre parcel, was unsuccessful. A land developer was the successful bidder.

November, 2007 - Verbal approval from the Provincial Superior (Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate) to proceed with acquiring vacant land.

November, 2007 - After considerable legal consultation, a written offer to purchase is presented to the vendor on the Ferrier Road property.

November, 2007 - Phase 1 Environmental study is initiated on the Ferrier Road property by ND Lea Inc. (an environmental consulting group).

December, 2007 - Phase 2 environmental study is initiated on the Ferrier Road property by ND Lea Inc.

January, 2008 - Reports from environmental studies are received. There are no significant environmental concerns regarding the Ferrier Road property. This condition is removed from the offer to purchase.

January, 2008 - Legal documents are drafted and signed - Immaculate Heart of Mary School Inc. are the owners of the 7 acre parcel of property on Ferrier Road.

May, 2008 - Town Hall Meeting to publicly announce acquisition of property.

June, 2008 - IHMS Board of Trustees completes the ‘Request for Proposal for Architectural Services for a Conceptual Design for IHMS’ and is distributed to various architectural firms.

July, 2008 - Pre-proposal meeting is held with architectural firms.

July, 2008 - Letter of support and blessing, on the initiative to relocate the school, is received from His Grace Most Reverend Lawrence Huculak, OSBM (addressed to the IHMS Board of Trustees, the Staff and Supporters of IHM School).

August, 2008 - Proposals are received from various architectural firms. The proposals are reviewed by the IHMS Board of Trustees.

September, 2008 - Number Ten Architectural Services are hired to produce conceptual designs and site plan of the new school.

December, 2008 - Number Ten facilitate a workshop with stake holders from the IHMS community. The stake holders represent a cross section of the school community of which included ... SSMI, students, parents, staff and Trustees. The intent of the workshop is to identify the core values of the organization that eventually will be reflected in the design of the new school.

January, 2009 - Number Ten facilitate a second workshop with stake holders from the IHMS community. The intent of the workshop is to further develop the conceptual design and site plan of the the new school.

January - July, 2009 - The members of the IHMS Board of Trustees meet numerous times with Number Ten to further develop the conceptual design and site plan.

February, 2009 - Members of the IHMS Board of Trustees are meeting regularly with City of Winnipeg planners to begin the rezoning process. The Ferrier property needs to be rezoned to a proper status for a school to be built.

May, 2009 - IHMS School Board of Trustees meet with members of the SSMI Council and Sr. Junia Kunanec, Provincial Superior, SSMI, to provide an update for them on the progress of the relocation project. The SSMI Council, offer their verbal support to the Board of Trustees and their efforts in the relocation initiative.
The SSMI Council join the IHMS Board of Trustees in a presentation by Number Ten Architectural Services as the conceptual design and site plans for the new school are unveiled.
The SSMI Council join the IHMS Board of Trustees for a capital campaign workshop facilitated by Lesia Sianchuk.

May, 2009 - Members of the IHMS Board of Trustees meet with Sr. Theresa Slota, SSMI (member of the SSMI Provincial Council) to request a letter of support from the SSMI.

May, 2009 - IHMS Board of Trustees receive quotations from various fund raising consultant firms to provide feasibility study / capital campaign services.

June, 2009 - There are ongoing meetings with city planners regarding the rezoning of the Ferrier property. There are meetings with consultant firms to provide rezoning services.

June, 2009 - Members of the IHMS Board of Trustees meet with His Grace Most Reverend Lawrence Huculak, OSBM to update him on the progress of the school relocation project.

July, 2009 - Number Ten Architectural Services provides final deliverables. A conceptual design of a new school building, a site plan, and a cost C estimate are delivered.

August, 2009 - A local consulting firm, Strategic Philanthropy, is hired to facilitate a feasibility study (market survey) of the new school project.

October, 2009 - A list of interviewees is compiled for the market survey. The list of interviewees represents a cross section of the community.

November, 2009 - Members of the IHMS Board of Trustees meet with the newly elected SSMI Provincial Superior, Sr. Theresa Slota, and the newly elected SSMI Council to provide a full report on the relocation project.

November, 2009 - There are ongoing meetings with various levels of government (federal, provincial, civic) regarding the rezoning of the Ferrier property.

December, 2009 & January, 2010 - Strategic Philanthropy conducts market survey interviews.

There is ongoing communication, to keep the IHMS community abreast of the relocation project progress, through the monthly IHMS Newsletter, IHMS web site, reports at monthly Parents’ Guild meetings and updates at large community events.

******************** Older Updates ********************

IHMS School Relocation Project Update

Immaculate Heart of Mary School (formerly St. Nicholas School), has been in the same location with the same address (650 Flora Avenue) since 1911. During the school’s centennial celebrations in 2005 it was announced that a committee would be looking at relocating the school. Click here to read the letter sent to parents on June 24, 2005.

After faithfully serving the community for 100 years on Flora Avenue, the school was going to be seeking a more secure location that would serve our children for the next century. In the last three years many committed individuals have put in a lot of time exploring numerous options. These options fell into three categories:

• acquiring land and building new
• purchasing an existing facility and remodelling
• staying at our current location with considerable improvements made in the neighbourhood

On May 29, 2008, a public announcement was made that Immaculate Heart of Mary School was the proud new owner of a 6.8 acre parcel of land on Ferrier Street.

This is a wide view of the land purchased by IHMS. It is a 6.8 acre parcel contained within the red outline. To view this map in a larger format, click here

This is a closer view of the above map. To view in a larger format, click here

The benefits of this piece of property are many:

• It is of good size with a lot of potential for development.
• The property is served by City of Winnipeg water and sewer.
• The property is vacant and clean (has been environmentally tested),.
• There is good proximity to community club facilities.
• The property is imbedded in the heart of where our current school enrolment demographic is located.
• IHMS would be the only Catholic school located in this part of the city.
• Perhaps most appealing is the projected residential growth in the area. In the last year hundreds of homes have been built to the north east, and immediately to the west of the property. Although the property is situated in a small industrial track at present, the rapid residential growth is quickly encircling the area.

The next steps in the project include:

• rezoning the property,
• getting an architectural firm involved to design the facility,
• embarking on a capital campaign feasibility study,
• fund raising,
• deciding what to to with the current building and property,
• defining financing and financing alternatives

The project at his point will proceed with the direction to relocate the current Nursery to Grade 8 school. This will include some of the classrooms to be doubled. Phase 2 of the project would have provisions for all the classes to be doubled. Phase 3 of the project would be to add a high school.

The rate at which the project proceeds is highly dependent on the support of the community. With such a large project there will undoubtedly be challenges and obstacles ... so the prayers, assistance, endorsement and funding will be very important. This is a very exciting time for Immaculate Heart of Mary School ... ‘The Spirit is Strong’!!

Emails received:

As a former student, I am very happy to hear about the future relocation.  If children are in our future, I would have been hesitant to send them to IHMS in the current area, despite the fact that it is an excellent school with wonderful teachers and principal.  The location is also ideal, as you keep your 'north end' roots, but it's also close to the newer East St. Paul and West St. Paul, where the population is growing.  I wish you all the best in what I'm sure will be trying coming years, and you have my full support.

Angela Lesiuk