Nearly 2,000 kindergarten students in the Tri-Cities started school for the first time this week and many of them got to begin their education in new classrooms.
But some may have to wait a few weeks to get inside their new digs.
Contractors are putting the finishing touches to nine modular classrooms to house the youngest students and a delay is expected for the opening of two modular classrooms at Eagle Ridge and at Aspenwood elementary, where a six-classroom addition is under construction.
But the district's assistant manager of capital projects says work is proceeding as scheduled at Bramblewood elementary, where three classrooms are being built, and on modular classrooms at Alderson, Lord Baden-Powell, Riverview, Glenayre, Mountain Meadows, and Rochester elementary schools. All were expected to open this week although workers may still be fine-tuning some non-safety details.
Gary Holtz said workers, city inspectors and SD43 personnel worked through the Labour Day weekend to get the new modulars and the addition at Bramblewood ready for occupancy, adding: "It was an enormous effort by everybody."
Holtz said the short timeline made it difficult to get the classrooms in place for new full-day kindergarten students and the manufacturer pulled out all the stops to get modulars built on time. But some weren't delivered until late August, posing a challenge to workers trying to get the buildings ready on time.
Still, Eagle Ridge has space for students inside the school until the modulars are finished, Holtz said, and at Aspenwood, a contingency plan is in place until the addition is ready for occupancy in about a month, using portables and other rooms for classrooms.
The projects cost $9 million and were implemented as the province rolled out the second phase of its full-day kindergarten program for five-year-olds. In all, SD43, is building nine classroom additions and 11 modular classrooms at nine schools to handle the influx of approximately 1,950 full-day kindergarten students.
The new modulars are an improvement on portables, with better insulation and more windows as well as washrooms, storage space, communication links to the school, rolling shutters, high-quality flooring and wood finishing.
Meanwhile, Maillard middle school is getting some seismic work done and Cape Horn, Harbour View and R.C. MacDonald are getting new heating, ventilation, air conditioning systems.
The district is also working on several longer term capital projects as well.
Construction has begun on a $12.5-million replacement school for James Park elementary in Port Coquitlam, slated to open in 2012, and planning is underway for three middle schools.
Construction for a $20-million replacement building for Pitt River middle school is expected to start this fall and will be phased to allow operation of the existing school during construction. The new school will house a neighbourhood learning centre, with an aboriginal welcoming centre, community school offices, a centre for sports training and a satellite office for Settlement Workers in Schools.
Other projects in the works include a new 500-student middle school for Heritage Woods in Port Moody, with an estimated project cost of $31.3 million, and a 450-student replacement school for Moody middle.
Longer term, the district is planning a rebuild of Centennial secondary at a cost of $49.6 million and a new high school for Burke Mountain at an estimated cost of $64.2 million. Centennial is expected to house 1,500 students and Burke Mountain is expected to house 1,200. The district recently concluded a property transfer for the Burke Mountain project.
