Seven school projects set for northern communities
Province plans new spaces for 3,100 pupils
The provincial government Monday announced seven school projects for northern Alberta with construction expected to be completed in 2016.
The schools will provide space for as many as 3,100 students from kindergarten through Grade 9, with some new schools and others replacing aging facilities.
New schools will be added in Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie, with replacements for existing structures in Beaverlodge, Joussard, Neerlandia and Sexsmith. A kindergarten to Grade 9 school will be constructed in Grimshaw, but no decision has been reached yet about what will happen to the community’s three existing schools.
Grimshaw currently has a half-century-old K-to-9 Catholic school that was the source of parents’ complaints last year due to poor conditions. There are also two public schools, a K-to-6 elementary and a Grade 7 to 12.
Education Minister Jeff Johnson said Monday the province will consult with the community to see what model best fits its needs. If at all possible, the facility will be built on land adjacent to a new multiplex in the town 180 kilometres north of Grande Prairie and incorporate some of that new infrastructure.
“We have announced a Grimshaw project, but we have not fleshed out yet what it will look like,” Johnson said following a news conference in Fort McMurray, where a K-to-6 school will be built in Timberlea for 600 students. “We have a huge opportunity to build a new school, and we want to make sure we do it in the best possible way.
“We don’t know the details yet but are very excited that Grimshaw is on the list.”
DIANNE LAVOIE
“The premier believes we can build a lot better programs and services, and wants schools to be hubs in smaller communities.”
Dianne Lavoie, chairwoman of the Holy Family Catholic Regional School Board, said discussions have been taking place between the town of Grimshaw, provincial government and Catholic and public school boards. She said school officials have been told there will be a replacement school constructed, along with a modernization of another facility.
“We don’t know the details yet, but we are very excited that Grimshaw is on the list,” Lavoie said.
“We were told that outcomes will be good for both school divisions.”
Along with the school in Fort McMurray’s Timberlea subdivision, the other new facility to be built will be a K-to-8 school for 750 students in Grande Prairie’s Pinnacle Ridge neighbourhood.
The other projects announced are a K-to-9 school in Beaverlodge for 200 to 300 students to replace the existing St. Mary Catholic School; a K-to-6 school for 300 students to replace the Joussard School; a K-to-9 school for 275 to 300 students in Neerlandia; and, a K-to-6 school for 450 to 500 students in Sexsmith to replace the Robert W. Zahara School.