The shovels will finally hit the ground this spring to build a new elementary school on the former St. Mary's Hospital site.
The New Westminster school district recently signed a contract with the developer, Yellowridge Design Build Ltd., and now has the confirmation of design plans and the city-approved development permit to move forward with the long-awaited school on Royal Avenue.
"We're thrilled with the work of the design-build team and the plans for the building and site," school board chair Michael Ewen said in a press release. "This is a state-of-the-art project that will serve generations to come."
The new elementary school will provide five kindergarten classes and 18 elementary classes for 100 full-day kindergarten students and 450 students in grades 1 to 5.
The School District and team at Yellowridge Design Build Ltd. have worked over the last several months to finalize plans for the new elementary school, which will house a daycare and Neighbourhood Learning Centre. The school will be built to LEED Gold standard, maximize natural light through passive solar design and provide natural green space play areas for students, the release states.
The district has been working on plans to build a new elementary, middle school and high school for well over a decade. The first phase of building involves constructing the elementary school, which will replace John Robson Elementary. The current Robson site will then house a middle school, once the old school is torn down. The district also wants to replace New Westminster Secondary School, but there has been no announcement about the long-overdue high school replacement. The high school site is fraught with issues, including bad soil conditions and a former cemetery that was located in the area, which has caused some controversy.
The district is initiating the selection of the design-build team for the middle school now that elementary school construction is moving forward, according to the release.
The city approved the development permit on March 1.
"It's great news for families in New Westminster that this project is moving forward," said acting City of New Westminster Mayor Jaimie McEvoy, in the release. "The new elementary school, daycare and Neighbourhood Learning Centre will be valued assets in our community."
The new elementary school is scheduled to be open for classes by September 2014, according to the school district.
