In a little more than month, school district politicians will decide the fate of a plan to sell off a portion of properties at two Coquitlam schools.

But for now, SD43 is busy gathering feedback from the public on the proposal.

The district held a pair of public open houses Wednesday and Thursday night at the two schools at the centre of the plan - Parkland and Porter Street Elementary.

The district is proposing to sell a portion of unused fields at both schools to be used for single-family lots.

At Parkland, the district is proposing to create eight lots along Como Lake Avenue near the school, while at Porter Street, the plan is to create nine lots along the Grover Avenue frontage of the school.

The district intends to sell the lots at market value with the revenue generated used for capital improvements at various SD43 schools.

School district officials contend each lot could generate about $250,000 in revenue.

Angela Reeves, who lives a couple of blocks away, attended the Wednesday night open house looking for more information on the plan.

She said she doesn't have an issue with the district's plan for Parkland, suggesting it could be a good way to generate some much-needed funds.

"I think it makes sense," Reeves told The NOW. "That's a field that's really not used very much by the school."

Ken Liu and Joyce Xing live across the street from Parkland and showed up to Wednesday evening's open house also looking for information.

The couple said they support the district's plan for Parkland.

Xing suggested the plan could create revenue for the district without raising property taxes.

"We actually think this is a good idea," added Liu.

However, he said he would like to see some of the revenue generated put back directly into Parkland Elementary.

Board chair Melissa Hyndes said the proposals are a test for the district as a way to generate much needed revenue to pay for an extensive capital plan, which includes the construction of new schools.

"We know we need to do something on our own to get the schools we desperately need on Burke Mountain," she said, noting the money from the sale won't be leaving the community.

Though the Parkland proposal didn't appear all that contentious, the district acknowledged it has heard concerns about the Porter Street Elementary plan. The NOW has also received letters from parents and residents expressing concern over the district's plan.

Hyndes indicated she has not made up her mind, adding it is important to get all the feedback before making a decision.

"I'm hoping that this consultation process will give the people we haven't heard from, the voice they need to voice their opinion on whether they feel it's appropriate to proceed or not," she said.

SD43 officials will present a report from the consultation in late October, with the board making a decision on Nov. 6. Even if approved by the board, the plan would still need approval from the City of Coquitlam and the Ministry of Education.

jdeutsch@thenownews.com