D.P. Todd expansion tops proposed capital plan
A $9.4-million expansion of D.P. Todd Secondary School is at the top of a wish list school board trustees approved Tuesday night for submission to the Ministry of Education.
The project, which leads a list of capital projects the school district would like pursued over the next five years, would increase the school’s capacity to 750 students from the current 600 and allow for removal of portable classrooms at the site.
Pending approval, work could start as soon as 2019 and would follow on construction of a new Kelly Road Secondary School. A contract for that project has been awarded to Yellowridge Construction Ltd., based in Port Moody, the school board was told Tuesday.
Budgeted at $44.3-million replacement, the new school will be large enough to hold 900 students. Once completed, the 56-year-old school it is replacing will be demolished.
“We are facing a crunch with capacity in our high schools and as enrollment continues to grow, we are projecting our high schools to become more and more utilized so I believe we have a very good ask into the ministry,” school board chair Tim Bennett said Wednesday.
Nine smaller improvement projects are also on the list for 2019-20:
• A new dust-collection system in the industrial education classroom at Heather Park Elementary School, $300,000;
• A new dust-collection system at the school district office, $300,000;
• A new high-voltage transformer at Foothills Elementary School, $375,695;
• New hot-water heating boilers at Peden Hill Elementary School, $393,365;
• A new high-voltage transformer at Spruceland Elementary School, $448,923;
• New hot-water heating boilers at Nukko Lake Elementary School, $396,915;
• A new exterior building enclosure at Peden Hill Elementary School, $239,508;
• A new exterior building enclosure at Quinson Elementary School, $394,000;
• A new high-voltage transformer at D.P. Todd Secondary School, $474,689.
The plan also calls for $400,000 worth of work to the boiler, direct digital controls and domestic hot water system at Ron Brent Elementary School in the name of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
And it includes requests for new playground equipment at Valemount, Van Bien and College Heights elementary schools.