Brant County has “really come through” for the Children’s Safety Village in its search for a new home.

The county is considering offering the safety village space on municipal property in Cainsville at Brant County Road 18 and Ewart Avenue. Part of the property will be used for a new fire hall and community centre, slated to open in 2020.

Dr. Leo Vos, president of the Children’s Safety Village of Brant, thanked Brant Mayor David Bailey and the county.

“They’ve really come through for us,” he said.

“We’ve been looking for a new home and we’re getting down to the wire and really needed to find something soon.”

The proposed location, which was outlined to county councillors at a recent corporate development meeting, meets the requirements needed for the village, which is now located in Brantford at 407 Elgin St. Councillors have asked county staff for a report on the proposal, which still must be approved by county council.

“We’re still working out the final details of this exciting project and will be announcing our plans as soon as possible,” Vos said. “We can soon begin to secure the capital support required to complete this important community project by the end of 2021 when our current land lease expires.

“Our timeline is very tight but, with the support of our school boards, the City of Brantford, Brant County, Six Nations of the Grand River and the companies and individuals in our community, we’re confident it can be done.”

Safety village officials have looked at a number of possible sites over the past couple of years, including the former Greenwich-Mohawk brownfield site in the city. However, the site isn’t ready for development.

The Cainsville site will offer the safety village greater visibility and plenty of parking.

Pioneered by the Kiwanis Club of Brantford in 1998, the safety village opened in 2005 following a successful $1.5-million capital campaign. Since opening, the village has seen more than 90,000 students visit.

The safety village provides hands on safety education for school-aged children in Brantford, Brant County and Six Nations. For example, children can visit Sparky’s Apartment to help them identify household hazards. Theatrical smoke is used to simulate a fire, complete with a heated door to give kids a chance to practise their escape from a burning home.

The village has expanded its services to include online and social media safety.

At present, the safety village is part of a 24-acre site that was previously owned by Mohawk College. In late 2014, the property was sold and is home to The Rise Centre, TRC Academy and a satellite campus of Six Nations Polytechnic. The TRC Academy is a prep-school for high school-aged student athletes who excel in hockey and basketball.

When the property switched ownership, safety village officials were told their lease, which is due to end in 2021, would not be renewed forcing safety village officials and the Kiwanis Club to look for a new location.

Bailey was at a safety village function in the fall and learned about the issue while speaking with safety village officials and members of Kiwanis.

“I knew right away that we’d be able to help them out,” the mayor said. “We had the plans for the fire hall and the community centre and we had this odd-shaped property – about four acres or so left over.

“The configuration of the land is such that it would likely be hard to sell and I thought it would be perfect for their needs.”

A lot of details still need to be worked out but Bailey said county is pleased to be able to help.

“I actually think it will be a better location for them because they will have increased visibility,” he said. “Right now, it’s kind of tucked away off Elgin Street.

“The new location will put them right on a well-travelled route.”

Bailey said he knew that the safety village was under pressure to find a location.

“I really didn’t want them to go dark – that is close for an extended period of time – because, if that happened, when they re-opened it would be like starting all over again,” he said. “The safety village is too important to our collective communities and I’m pleased we’re able to help out.”

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