A zombie confinement area, a greenhouse, a roller paintball arena, a Japanese garden, an outdoor skating rink, a make-shift Spirit Island or a 4,000 km pit to the centre of the Earth.
Those are just a few of the possible uses for the soon-to-be vacant land beneath the existing high school. Although there are plenty more, those are the ideas that students from Jasper Junior/Senior High School came up with when tasked with envisioning the land鈥檚 future use.
(You can read the proposals for a Japanese garden and greenhouse on page 9 of this week鈥檚 paper, and in the June 5 issue you can read about the roller paintball arena and zombie containment area.)
The reason for the assignment is the impending demolition of the 61-year-old school, and the reclamation of the land, which will leave a blank slate鈥攁 grassed, graded and irrigated plot, waiting for a brilliant new idea.
While reading through the students鈥� assignments this week, two things were clear: the options are endless, and Jasper鈥檚 students are more than a wee bit jaded. The cynicism in their words was hard to miss.
For instance, in Kiana Boisvert鈥檚 assignment, she wrote about constructing a building that the community of Jasper would despise鈥攚ith no consideration for the number of people who petition against it.
鈥淚 would make sure the use of the structure would be downright unnecessary in every way,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淥verall, I will block out the requests of the community and leave you all voiceless because that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 best at.鈥�
She then concluded by saying, 鈥渢his sounds sick, right? Yes, well, it鈥檚 happened before and it can happen again.鈥�
With sour memories still lingering in their minds from the public consultations for the Glacier Skywalk, Maligne Tours proposal and the new joint school facility, there鈥檚 little question why Jasperites鈥攜oung and old鈥攁re cynical.
We hope the municipality will recognize that cynicism and work to squelch it with a meaningful public consultation. That will be the key to success.
The community鈥檚 ideas need to be heard and considered.
Now, of course, Ana Olsen鈥檚 idea of digging to the centre of the Earth isn鈥檛 necessarily one we鈥檙e keen to explore, but her proposal is still worth a moment of thought.
For all we know, the community might need a pit for 鈥済etting away with murder, getting rid of garbage in an eco-friendly way, proving hell doesn鈥檛 exist, watching children cry as their toys are thrown down to burn, getting rid of road kill or absolutely anything else that burns at a whopping 5,430 C.鈥�
Such a pit might be just the thing for Jasper.
The municipality hasn鈥檛 decided what will become of the land鈥攚hich it received in a land swap with Grande Yellowhead Public School Division, nor has it decided when and how to approach a public consultation.
We hope a decision is made sooner rather than later, so the community has time to provide meaningful input.
