Seismic upgrading of older schools is once again on the front burner and School District 43 and a Coquitlam francophone public school will benefit.
Sir Frederick Banting middle school in Coquitlam and École des Pionniers de Maillardville in Port Coquitlam will get seismic upgrades costing more than $35 million after the province last week announced it was kick-starting its eight-year-old seismic upgrade plan.
The news is good for SD43, which has slowly been retrofitting some of its older schools since 2004, when the province rolled out its $1.5-billion seismic plan, and will now be able to upgrade one of three high-need schools. Two others, Minnekhada and Montgomery middle schools, are still awaiting funding approval, according to secretary treasurer Rick Humphreys.
On Tuesday, Humphreys told the board of education that SD43 has made significant progress in seismically upgrading schools, retrofitting 14 in the last several years. With money coming for Banting, SD43 will once again start the technical and intensive work required to quake-proof schools.
But there won't be any extra money for upgrading roofing or heating systems for the older schools even if projects come under budget.
"The money is the money," said Humphreys, who noted in previous years, the district was able to fit in other projects using additional capital grants or stretch dollars to cover 14 instead of the original 10 schools and do other work.
Several new schools are also being built as part of the original seismic plan. Construction has started on a Pitt River middle replacement school, a new James Park elementary will open this fall and Centennial is slated for replacement, with more announcements expected this fall.
Humphreys said a ground-breaking is also planned for the new Heritage Mountain middle school, which will serve students in Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra. The project has been top of mind for residents moving to Heritage Woods over the past several years; students there are currently bused to Moody middle. (A replacement school for Moody is also planned.) The ground-breaking for the $23.2-million Heritage Mountain project, which will be the first in the district with a green roof, will take place on June 1.
In a press release, SD43 board chair Melissa Hyndes and Conseil Scolaire Francophone board chair Alexandra Greenhill welcomed the news that the two seismic projects would go ahead.
Conseil Scolaire Francophone is the school district that serves 4,600 francophone students in B.C., including those at PoCo's École de Pionniers.
dstrandberg@tricitynews.com
