Education ministry provides money for roof repair at Vanier Collegiate

The Ministry of Education has provided $600,000 in additional funding for a roofing project at Vanier Collegiate, which has helped ease the financial burden on the Catholic school division.

The ministry recently provided new funding to Holy Trinity Roman Catholic School Division to match preventative maintenance and renewal (PMR) funds for a partial roof replacement at the high school, which will include upgrades to the mechanical system.

The division has engaged Roof Managed Information Systems (RMIS) for the project management and contract administration of the project. Rodd Hoffart, the division’s buildings supervisor, is working with RMIS and other contractors and consultants to finalize end-of-life assessments on the roof section, mechanical equipment replacements and cost estimates.

As part of the project, the division and RMIS are also readying design drawings, specifications, and tender documents.

Holy Trinity is excited about this roof project, said education director Sean Chase. The division has already gone through the request for proposals (RFP) process and is close to finalizing the proponent to complete the work. The partial roof replacement will take place this summer and should be ready for school in September.

The portion of roof the division is replacing is not a safety risk, he continued. However, roof repairs are a challenge for all schools across the division. Holy Trinity has been monitoring Vanier’s roof for the past few years and has attempted to save up money for this project. The good news has been the roof is not in poor shape, according to consultants who analyzed the structure.

“There is less square footage for them to have to repair and replace compared to what the analysis suggested five years ago,” Chase said. “So there is less to do (and) less cost from that standpoint…”

It’s thrilling that the ministry found some money for the division to complete this project, the education director remarked. Every year school divisions receive immediate funding for projects and money to save for future initiatives. This project was originally going to cost more than $1 million, but that was not something the division could afford on its own.

“We will put it to good use here to address the issue,” Chase added.

The next Holy Trinity board meeting is Monday, June 15.