Juanita Little Discusses the Ashcroft HUB Disposal Process

*Disclaimer* The HUB Online Network does work out of the Ashcroft HUB building, but will provide unbiased coverage of this topic.

Juanita Little is the Chair of the Ashcroft HUB Executive Board. The Ashcroft HUB is based out of the old Ashcroft elementary School building, and has been operating there for the last five years.

The School District and the the HUB currently have a nine year lease agreement. Currently SD74 has begun the disposal process to remove the building off of their financial books. At this time the HUB Online Network has reached out to SD74 for an interview or comment with no response.

The disposal process what brought up in December of 2020, as a letter presented to the HUB stating intentions that the School Board would be talking about this subject at the January 2021 board meeting. During that meeting trustee Carmen Ranta put the topic on the floor and it was decided to move ahead with a public consultation process that would take place during the rest of January and end February 19th.

There has been a lot of speculation around Ashcroft and the surrounding area as to what all of this means fir the HUB, and many letters of support for the HUB have been sent to the School District. Juanita clarifies the HUB's position during this process. "What we would like to know if why now? As we still have a lease and we are still in the middle of a global pandemic. We are asking that the School District postpone the disposal process until we are living in more certain times".

Juanita, cited that one of the reasons that the School Board made for this decision was that the Board wanted to see any financial support that the HUB is receiving from SD74 be moved to things that directly support children, then she went onto say, "the HUB provides several services to the community, many of which directly benefit children in the area, from art classes, dance classes, summer camps summer jobs and more".

Currently the HUB building costs the SD74 (roughly) $27,000/year to maintain the grounds and other small maintenance items that the HUB staff is technically not allowed to perform due to union restrictions. The HUB board pays for everything else including heating and lighting.