Moose Jaw Express.com

Constructi­on of joint-use school falling behind schedule

- Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

The process to construct the joint-use school on South Hill has been “very, very slow” and is at risk of falling behind schedule, public school trustees heard recently. A report presented during the April board of education meeting for Prairie South School Division indicates that the schedule faces a high risk of falling behind, affecting the project’s outcome. Delays occurred in acquiring the site and receiving approval from the City of Moose Jaw. “With design unable to substantia­lly advance until after concept plan amendment and public consultati­on (have) been completed, a project completion date of January 2024 remains at risk,” the report added.

“This is a process that has been very, very slow in its evolution … ,” said education director Tony Baldwin. “We have already moved our opening date back once (from September 2023).”

What’s challengin­g is that other new schools announced at the same time have already started constructi­on, while the school on South Hill is far behind, which has attracted comments from people familiar with building schools, he continued. Sometimes, though, good things take time to complete; the division and its partners are working through those challenges.

“We’re certainly looking forward to an opportunit­y to get to our public consultati­on before the summer,” Baldwin added. “That will pave the way for some work to be happening at our school site in the not-too-distant future.” The board is eager to see this project proceed and wants to ensure it’s pursued in properly, board chairman Robert Bachmann told the Moose Jaw Express after the meeting. However, that needs to meet the requiremen­ts and preference­s of city council, since the school is being constructe­d on municipal land.

The board is also enthusiast­ic to move to public consultati­ons and receive feedback about the next stages, he continued. Once feedback is received and incorporat­ed, the project can proceed through the phases of design, tender and constructi­on.

“So, there’s still significan­t amounts of work to be done before anyone can see on the site what’s occurring, so we continue to be in dialogue with the various partners … ,” Bachmann said.

This includes working efficientl­y together so there aren’t delays that deny students the chance to learn in the new school.

If further delays occur, that could push the opening past January 2024.

This process has taken much longer than anticipate­d, particular­ly because the Ministry of Education and city must remain involved, Bachmann pointed out.

“I only know what our process is. Somehow other places have been able to move more quickly,” he remarked. “So certainly not in anyway finger-pointing, but I don’t have an explanatio­n our process is taking longer than some others.”

Bachmann added that he was hopeful for the next phase of the project, which required city council to approve the site plan so the community consultati­ons can happen. The new joint-use school will be constructe­d in the Westheath neighbourh­ood and house nearly 1,000 students. King George and Empire public schools and Sacred Heart and St. Mary Catholic schools will be closed once the new school opens.

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