Council approves expansion of Footprints Academy

Students will now be able to complete kindergarten through Grade 12 at the Footprints for Learning Academy after Airdrie City council approved a change in the Land Use Bylaw at its meeting on May 4, that allows the school to expand its present location on Kingsview Boulevard S.E.

A public hearing was held at the meeting at which representatives from the school spoke in favour of the expansion.

As reported in the April 23 edition of the Airdrie City View, the owners ran into a roadblock when they applied for a permit to expand the private school into the building's second floor to accommodate high school classes for 87 students.

According to Manager of Planning and Sustainable Development Tracy Corbett, the Land Use Bylaw would need to be amended to accommodate the expansion of the school because it is located in an industrial area not currently zoned for private schools.

The 1.8-hectare property is located at 2926 Kingsview Boulevard S.E. The Magic Mountain Day Care currently occupies two bays in the building with 201 students and 27 full-time equivalent staff. The daycare also provides after-school care for 120 students. The Footprints for Learning Preschool has 24 students and three full-time equivalent staff, while the Footprints for Learning Academy private school offers classes from kindergarten to Grade 8 for 225 students with 16 full-time equivalent staff.

The third bay is occupied by a golf cart sales and service company.

Laura Bancroft, one of the owners of the Footprints for Learning Academy, told council the expansion of the school would accommodate the school's growth, literally and figuratively.

“ Our students are getting bigger, they're getting taller, they're getting ready to move up a grade and we don't have any space left for them,” she said. “ We need more physical classroom space.”

Corbett said planning staff was recommending the modification of the discretionary use list for sites zoned as Industrial Business Park District One (IB-1) for the specific parcel of land on which the private school sits.

“ This is not re-zoning the site, it's changing the district. What it would do is simply add private school as a listed use under discretionary use,” she said. “ It would be very similar to how we treat day care facilities and religious assemblies – they are included in this district currently.”

“ One of the concerns that was raised at our Municipal Planning Commission was that (making this change) opens up the use to all our IB-1 districts (in Highland Park and Gateway) in addition to King's Heights and there was some concern about that,” she added. “ Staff is recommending you add a clause (in the bylaw) limited to that particular parcel. It enables the applicant (Footprints for Learning) to expand.”

Council unanimously voted in favour of amending the Land Use Bylaw to allow the private school to expand in that particular location.

Katie Aldous, principal of Footprints for Learning Academy, was thrilled by the news.

“ All the children were celebrating the great news today as well,” she said May 5. “ The kids were just as well informed and active in what was going on at our school. We're just really excited to continue to teach the kids and work with them and continue to do the wonderful things we're doing here at Footprints.”

Aldous said she hoped renovations to the second floor would be completed in time for students to begin classes in the new space in September.

Council also unanimously approved first reading of a change to the Franchise Agreement Bylaw specific to the fee paid by Fortis.

The amendment would keep the fee at 12 per cent for 2015. Council previously approved increasing the fee from 10 per cent to 12 per cent in September 2014.

Franchisee fees affect anyone paying a utility bill, including homeowners, churches, schools, renters, and governments (provincial and federal) that are exempt by law from paying municipal tax. Because of this, the impact of an increase to a franchisee fee is spread out far beyond homeowners, according to Shannon Shindeler, team leader of Utility Administration. Franchisee fees are charged directly to customers on their utility bills.

Staff brought the bylaw forward for amendment because they are currently in the midst of negotiating a multi-year agreement with Fortis before the existing 10-year contract expires on Dec. 31.

The new agreement would take effect on Sept. 1 and administration would bring forward any increase for 2016 during the budget process next year.