Town of Penetanguishene employees using property at 51 Dunlop for roads vehicle parking and additional workspace.
(Penetanguishene) – In mid-February, The Town of Penetanguishene released a statement that an agreement to purchase 51 Dunlop Street – the site of the former Penetanguishene Secondary School had been made.
With the purchase now final, the Town has entered a facility use agreement with the school board for the use of the property and a portion of the building for some Roads Division staff members.
“In early 2020, the Town had to adapt and made the conscious decision to split our Roads Division into ‘teams’, each requiring their own space to comply with the COVID-19 regulations for our essential staff indoor workspaces,” said Jeff Lees, CAO. “Utilizing the property at 51 Dunlop will allow our staff members to remain properly socially distanced during mandatory breaks and meetings, as well as mitigate risk for a large group of employees.”
Previously, the Roads Division utilized the Museum, Penetanguishene Memorial Community Centre (Arena) and Curling Club to comply with this regulation. The Museum has begun preparation to reopen to the public, once the stay-at-home order is lifted, while our Arena has been converted to a North Simcoe COVID-19 Vaccination site and Curling Club has transitioned into a Parks Division secondary office. These changes to each facility meant that staff were required to source new workspaces for staff members that fit the criteria.
“Keeping our staff members safe, while ensuring municipal operations continue has been forefront of staff and council decisions over the course of COVID-19” said Mayor Doug Leroux. “Having this agreement in place allows our staff members to work in spaces that are designated to their team and reduces the chances of COVID-19 contraction or spread.”
The Town of Penetanguishene has released several news releases focusing on the purchase of the PSS property. If you are interested in keeping up-to-date with the purchase of the property, we encourage you to subscribe to our News Release portal, here.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Jeff Lees, CPA, CGA
Chief Administrative Officer
Town of Penetanguishene
705-549-7453
Sarah Marshall
Communications Coordinator
Town of Penetanguishene
705-549-7453