[upinottawa]

Cleary talks revived

Windsor Star
Published: Saturday, May 27, 2006

Negotiations between the city and St. Clair College about the school's establishment of a downtown campus in the Cleary International Centre appear to be back on the rails.

Mayor Eddie Francis and St. Clair president Dr. John Strasser met Thursday and Strasser provided Francis with a new proposal on Friday.

"All I can say is we're chatting," said Strasser.

"I think we clearly understand the concerns for both sides."

Strasser would not discuss the details of his proposal.

Earlier this week the deal appeared to be at an impasse over concerns about future ownership of the Cleary.

Francis met in-camera with council Tuesday and read them a letter from Strasser which contained items some councillors did not agree with.

Francis said the matter will be before council again at their meeting on Monday.

Asked for his assessment of the negotiations, Francis said that he shared council's concerns at the last meeting, but added: "Dr. Strasser and myself have had very productive discussions.... I think there's something to report back to council for their consideration."

The Cleary International Centre will become a redundant city asset after the new 100,000-square-foot auditorium at Casino Windsor opens.

The new downtown campus would first house about 550 students but that number could grow to as high as 1,000.

© The Windsor Star 2006