A change.org petition, https://www.change.org/p/brock-university-board-of-trustees-save-rodman-hall , to save Rodman Hall in St. Catharines has garnered 568 signatures since it was put up online Friday.
The petition, started by St. Catharines resident Liz Hayden says the Art Centre on St. Paul Crescent was created by and for the residents of the city and region in order to preserve the unique historical site, provide professional art experiences to the community and maintain the public Carolinian gardens overlooking Twelve Mile Creek and the downtown.
The petition calls on Brock University which acquired the property for two dollars from the city to keep the property and not to put it up for sale when the lease on it expires in seven years.
But Brock officials are denying they plan to sell it to a private developer saying they are only considering returning it back to public ownership.
The school noting it costs $600,000 a year to keep Rodman Hall open and if it returns to public hands it would be eligible for government grants.