A crowd of more than 400 people packed Echo Centre’s Cedar rooms to take part in the Alberni District Secondary School (ADSS) rezoning public hearing.

It was standing room only for 60-80 people in the back of the muggy room as every chair was taken. The crowd spilled into the Dogwood Room too, where a television brought them the live feed via Shaw Cable.

The crowd’s mood differed from the town hall meeting about Sweeney Feild in the spring. While the majority of speakers that night were vehemently against building a new ADSS at Sweeney Field, the roles reversed Wednesday night.

Some 25 people had spoken by press time, 22 in favour of the rezoning and three against.

School principal Mike Ruttan led the speakers.

He’d been neutral on the matter, but the negative tone of the previous town hall meeting spurred him to speak publicly, he said.

The district has to contribute funds to pay for the new school and isn’t wealthy to begin with, he said.

The only asset it can sell to contribute money are its properties, and Sweeney couldn’t fetch what Burde Street could, he said.

Building a new school at Burde Street while school is in session is easier said than done, said AW Neill vice principal Laurie Morphet.

AW Neill underwent a two-year renovation, and the noise had a negative impact on students and staff there, and it would at ADSS, she said.

Ensconcing ADSS amid other facilities in the area can work, ADSS teacher Shaun Rust said. “I lived and taught in Calgary before coming here, and there are schools adjacent to other facilities and it’s successful,” he said.

Rust was candid about the nay side of the issue.

“I’ve yet to hear anything valid from naysayers,” he said.

“Most of their comments are based on misinformation, which School District 70 has cleared up, and it seems to be rooted in a personal and/or selfish reluctance to change.”

Presenters – who seemingly never had a time limit – were greeted with polite applause.

But the mood in the rear of the crowd changed as ADSS teacher Jori Mitchell was speaking.

“When are we going to get our turn to speak,” audience member Fred Boyko interjected.

Mayor Ken McRae called meeting to order, saying people signed up on the speakers list on a first come-first served basis.

Area resident Carolyn Jasken spoke against the rezoning, The school district hadn’t properly consulted residents, produced detailed plans or conducted an environmental assessment, she said.

Jasken further questioned why Burde Street wasn’t among the 14 alternate sites that were considered. She presented councillors with a 5,500 name petition against building ADSS on Roger Street.

Money and real estate are behind selling Burde Street, said retired teacher Lyman Jardin.

“It’s not what’s best for students that’s behind this, it’s taxes and real estate,” he said.

The meeting was to continue Thursday night, 7 p.m. at Echo Centre.

reporter@albernivalleynews.com