Viewmount Road (back then Borden Side Road) and the increase of commercial enterprises like Merivale Mall in the 1960s and 1970s. Construction and development slowed down in the 1980s and 1990s but in 2002 a new shopping complex was built across the street as well as a Harvey's restaurant nearby, providing students with more places to go during lunch. Due to its location on the increasingly commercially developed Merivale strip, and its reduced importance since the completion of John McCrae Secondary School in Barrhaven, efforts had been made by the province to close the school in the late 1990s as a means of saving money. These efforts proved unsuccessful due to a large amount of community and student body support for the school. In 2005, with the closure of Laurentian High School and J. S. Woodsworth Secondary Schools, Merivale took in the remaining students as well as remaining school equipment and staff from both schools, maintaining a strong solid student population. In early December 2005 an electrical fire destroyed the interiors of the main office, student services, and guidance departments. The damage was estimated at CA$100,000 and a temporary wall had to be constructed to facilitate reconstruction. The new office opened in 2006. The school is currently under review by parent groups and the school board over how the school will continue running in the future, such as how the school's grade system and programs will work (either making it into a combined 7-12 hybrid system like the new Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School, keeping it the same, or re-routing students to a different location altogether). Academics and arts The school is among the top schools in Ontario for academics and Fine Arts. In 2000, a team of Merivale students won the Reach for the Top national championship; in 2003, the school was named champion on the CBC television series SmartAsk. The school's music program is considered one of the best in the Ottawa area: the school's ensembles regularly win "gold" standings at regional MusicFest competitions, and won 5 golds when they attended the 2000 national finals at York University. The school also competed in the 2006 national MusicFest competition with 7 ensembles, all achieving a grade of silver or higher. Merivale is active in dramatic arts. Their musical production of "Lucky Stiff" was nominated thirteen times for the Ottawa-area Cappie awards in 2005-2006, an awards ceremony for high school productions.