Province funds $100 million project for schools in Langford, Colwood
Beloved but battered Belmont secondary is facing its final years after the Ministry of Education committed $100 million to build two new high schools on the West Shore.
Education Minister George Abbott, after joking about tripping on duct tape in Belmont, announced the province will fund the Sooke School DistrictB次元官网网址檚 plan to build a new Belmont at the Glen Lake elementary site in Langford and a new Colwood high school at Royal Bay.
B次元官网网址淚 would acknowledge as I was tripping over your duct tape walking down the hallway, quite possibly your B次元官网网址榖ricks and mortarB次元官网网址� are getting a little bit tired,B次元官网网址� Abbott said Monday at Belmont secondary. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 delighted to say that the Sooke School District will get not one, not one and a half, but two new high schools.B次元官网网址�
The announcement has set in motion two virtually simultaneous $50 million construction projects, one at the Glen Lake site and the other in Royal Bay, over the next three or four years. Kids in Grade 5 today will be the first cohort of youth in several generations to enter a new West Shore high school.
To contribute to the project, SD 62 will sell the seven hectare Belmont property for an estimated $30 million, making the ministryB次元官网网址檚 net contribution $70 million. With the districtB次元官网网址檚 plan authorized, the education minister and SD 62 staff donB次元官网网址檛 expect to engage in a formal public process to sell the property.
B次元官网网址淭his is the most amazing day IB次元官网网址檝e had as superintendent. ItB次元官网网址檚 probably the most amazing day IB次元官网网址檝e had in my 30 years in the Sooke School District,B次元官网网址� said SD 62 superintendent Jim Cambridge. B次元官网网址淚t is the future of our district. I couldnB次元官网网址檛 be more happy.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 over the moon. Christmas came early,B次元官网网址� added SD 62 board chair Wendy Hobbs.
Over the past four years, trustees, district staff, students, West Shore mayors and MLAs have waged a relentless campaign of nagging and cajoling the Education Ministry that the duct tape wonB次元官网网址檛 hold the overflow of students, and that the Sooke District is growing B次元官网网址� and fast.
Abbott said the communityB次元官网网址檚 overwhelming and consistent advocacy for the plan played a key role in finding capital funding for new West Shore high schools. He singled out Belmont Grade 12 student Ravi Parmar, who organized a student walkout last year, and told the minister about sorry, shabby state of his high school.
B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 believe itB次元官网网址檚 all over. People have been working on this for 15 years,B次元官网网址� Parmar said. B次元官网网址淓veryone has worked hard to get to this point today.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淧ushing has been team effort, with lots of support, lots of advocacy from everyone at the West Shore,B次元官网网址� Abbott said. B次元官网网址�(The schools) certainly are due and quite possibly overdue.B次元官网网址�
The two new schools will hold about 800 students each, and each will have a different focus. A new Belmont at the Glen Lake site will use Goudy and Bear Mountain turf fields under an agreement with Langford. Colwood and the West Shore Chamber of Commerce are working to build an arts complex next to the new high school at Royal Bay.
B次元官网网址淔rom an economic development point of view this is huge,B次元官网网址� said West Shore Chamber of Commerce CEO Dan Spinner. B次元官网网址淭here were people leaving the community because they were worried about the quality of the schools. This changes everything.B次元官网网址�
Juan de Fuca MLA John Horgan (NDP) was happy to give credit to the Liberal government for committing money to one of the few districts seeing student growth.
B次元官网网址淣ow we can say goodbye to this site and look to an exciting future for our kids and our families,B次元官网网址� Horgan said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 grateful to George, IB次元官网网址檓 grateful to government recognizing this is the right thing to do. When something is right itB次元官网网址檚 right. Replacing this school has been right for some time, this government recognizes it, now we can step ahead.B次元官网网址�
New high schools will finally allow the district to reconfigure itB次元官网网址檚 grades B次元官网网址� and avoid fields of portable classrooms B次元官网网址� has Grade 6 is shifted from elementary to middle school and Grade 9 is shifted into high school.
B次元官网网址淭his will free up elementary school space, which will be crucial in two or three years,B次元官网网址� Cambridge said.
The superintendent expects the design and building phase to last three or four years.
B次元官网网址淐ertainly there is a good construction climate, but we wonB次元官网网址檛 know (a timetable) until we have our architectural plans,B次元官网网址� Cambridge said. B次元官网网址淏ut weB次元官网网址檙e hoping kids in Grades 5 now will be going to new high schools.B次元官网网址�
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
