Plans to knock down the former Port Coquitlam secondary school got the okay from the city this week.
On Monday, council granted a development variance permit to allow School District 93 to demolish L’École des Pionniers de Maillardville at 3550 Wellington St. (SD93 serves the francophone community in the Tri-Cities, Ridge Meadows, Burnaby and New Westminster).
Conseil Scolaire Francophone wants to replace Terry Fox's alma mater with a new building to meet seismic standards, at a cost of about $25 million; it will be built to meet LEED gold standards.
The school won't be torn down any time soon and not until the replacement school is completed. Construction has not yet begun.
Meanwhile, some PoCo secondary alumni are planning a last dance at the school on May 21 before it's torn down. Details have yet to be confirmed.
jwarren@tricitynews.com
