Bloorlea Middle School is located on Bloor St. West north of Cloverdale Mall

Bloorlea Middle School. Jaan Pill photo

This post is concerned with Bloorlea Middle School, located at 4050 Bloor St. West in Etobicoke.

Proposal to set up a “community hub”

Toronto District School Board Trustee Pamela Gough has brought my attention to a proposal, which has been turned down by the Provincial government, to set up a “community hub” at the school.

In this post I will first describe the setting. In a subsequent post I’ll describe the proposal.

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Cloverdale Mall

Early Saturday morning, May 31, 2014 view of Food Court at Cloverdale Mall, which is located a short ways south of Bloorlea Middle School. Jaan Pill photo

The school is located a short ways north of Cloverdale Mall, located north of Dundas Street West along The East Way.

I enjoy Cloverdale Mall. It’s a place where people like to sit and chat at the Food Court. The emotional tone of the mall is sociable, relaxed, and friendly. It’s a great place to stop for coffee and think about how we make sense of things.

Bloorlea Middle School is located at 4050 Bloor St. West near The East Mall. It's a short distance along The East Mall from Cloverdale Mall. Source: Google Maps

I had been driving by Bloorlea Middle School for 20 years. On Saturday, May 31, 2014, I parked at the school parking lot at the northeast corner of Bloor St. West and The East Mall and and walked across the grounds.

Roadway, no longer in use, at western edge of property. Jaan Pill photo

The first thing I noticed was an unused roadway at the western boundary of the property. I can picture that in previous decades, it may have been in constant use.

Wide expanse of school grounds

Looking to the northeast from the school parking lot, you see an enormous expanse of school grounds. Jaan Pill photo

Looking to the northeast, I saw an enormous expanse of school grounds.

Schools built in the postwar years were usually characterized by extensive grounds – the hallmark of an era where farmlands had recently been converted to residential use.

Condos on the horizon

Looking to the northwest from the parking lot, high-rise condos and older mid-rises stand on the horizon. Jaan Pill photo

A view to the northwest shows high-rise condos on the horizon, along with an older mid-rise building. As you walk toward the northeast across the school grounds, you get a sense of the expansiveness of the playing fields.

As you walk north, you get a sense of the expansiveness of the playing fields. Jaan Pill photo

View looking north. Jaan Pill photo

Pathway near eastern boundary of school grounds

Near the eastern boundary of the school property, a pathway leads to the north. What may be the remains of a creek bed, where a stream may have run in the past, is seen at the eastern boundary.

Facility Renewal Project

The sign reads: Toronto District School Board: Facility Renewal Project - Investing in Children. Jaan Pill photo

At the Bloor St. West side of the property, a sign reads: Toronto District School Board: Facility Renewal Project – Investing in Children.

View along the north side of Bloor St. West looking toward Highway 427. In the background is The East Mall and the 427 overpass. Jaan Pill photo

When you walk along the Bloor St. West side, in the background you see The East Mall and the 427 overpass.

Walkway from school entrance to Bloor St. West. Walking around the school, you get a sense that it's been a key part of the community for many decades. Jaan Pill photo

Looking around the school building, you get a sense of a school that has been a key part of the community for many years.

In a subsequent post, I’ll discuss a proposal – which has been turned down by the Provincial government – to turn the school into a “community hub.”