Planning OK’d for new Rutland middle school

Head of school board welcomes news but cautions approval doesn’t guarantee school will be built

A hoped-for new middle school in Rutland moved a little closer to becoming a reality on Wednesday.

The provincial government approved planning for the $14.5-million project, a development described by school board chairwoman Moyra Baxter as significant but not determinative.

“It’s another step in the process,” Baxter said Wednesday. “It’s not approved yet; that takes a decision from the Treasury Board.

“It has happened in the past that planning for a school has been approved but the project still hasn’t gone ahead for various reasons,” Baxter said.

“Still, we’re very happy to see the planning approved for Rutland Middle, because it means we haven’t fallen off the radar, which can happen because there’s so much pressure on the government from all 60 school districts.”

Replacing old Rutland Middle School was the Central Okanagan school board’s No. 1 priority when it submitted a five-year capital plan to the Ministry of Education last fall.

The plan involves demolishing the existing Rutland Middle School and converting Quigley Elementary School into a new middle school. Those younger students would be distributed to other area elementary schools, which have extra capacity.

Kelowna’s two MLAs, Norm Letnick and Steve Thomson, went to the board office Thursday morning to present a letter showing planning for the Rutland project had been approved.

“A good education system is part of a strong economy,” Letnick is quoted as saying in a government press release. “These new spaces will support that work, and I’m glad we can start planning to make them a reality.”

Also Wednesday, Letnick and Thomson announced $2.4 million in provincial funding for a new 20suite affordable housing complex in Glenmore.

BC Housing will issue a request for proposals from non-profit organizations interested in designing, building and operating the rental project. The City of Kelowna is providing land, worth $770,000, at 170 Drysdale Blvd.

The project will have two- and three-bedroom suites, and is aimed at low-income families.