“Better late than never” could be the motto for the new Centennial secondary school, which won’t be open for classes until September — at least two years after it was originally expected to be ready.
Staff at the school are being notified this week that they can pack up their classrooms for a move to the new school building, which will take place at the end of the school year, said Ivano Cecchini, School District 43’s assistant secretary-treasurer of facilities and planning services.
The school’s technology department, including the automotive program, moved over last year in anticipation of the school’s opening but a number of construction delays, some caused by poor winter weather, held up the project, Cecchini said.
But he wasn’t specific about what construction problems caused the protracted build, saying that the delays didn’t hit the school district any additional costs for the project, built by Envoy Construction Services Ltd. for $47.7 million.
A grand opening is expected to take place some time during the next school year, and Cecchini said the district is continuing to look for a private partner to build a sports field at the corner of Winslow Avenue and Poirier Street once the old school, built in 1967, is knocked down. Following demolition, construction will start on a gym and neighbourhood learning centre; Cecchini declined to say when they would open.
The Centennial replacement project has a long history — and many challenges. Here is a timeline of the project:
• February 2012: A project manager stated the project was expected to cost $42 million, with work to begin that fall and construction expected to take 20 months (making 2014 the year of opening). One of the challenges to design and construction, it was noted, was an oil line that bisects the property.
• October 2013: SD43’s secretary treasurer, Mark Ferrari, announced that Envoy Construction Services would build the school at a cost of $47.7 million, with completion scheduled for fall of 2015 and phase two scheduled for spring 2017.
• December 2013: A time capsule dating back to the original school’s construction was removed during pre-construction work for the school.
• June 2014: An agreement is reached to minimize disruption to recreation programs at the Centennial Activity Centre during construction of the neighbourhood learning centre and gymnasium.
• October 2016: SD43 confirms that 60 more high school students enrolled at Centennial that summer, likely in anticipation of the school opening that September. “The building is almost complete and we’re just very optimistic that we will soon be able to transfer over the classes. The soonest would be Christmas but we’re not sure,” stated superintendent Patricia Gartland.
• February 2017: The school still hadn’t opened and SD43 confirmed heavy snows were delaying construction, especially of the outdoor areas.
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