Want to see what New Westminster's newest school is going to look like?
A 3-D video of the $23.2 million elementary school takes viewers inside the school, showing off design features, including exposed wooden beams and ample windows.
Jim Alkins, project manager for the school district's capital projects, said the video is an accurate depiction of what the school - called cole Qayqayt (kee-kite) Elementary - will look like when it opens in 2014. The only major difference is the exterior paint colour, he said. (Watch the fly-through video on The Record's website at www.royalcityrecord.com)
"We've changed it to a little bit more of a grey-tone rather than the beigy colours," Alkins explained. "We went for colours that are a bit stronger. There was a discussion with the design panel and the architect, and we came up with an image that was a little bit stronger to make the school a focal point in that community."
Otherwise the fly-through - created by the architectural firm using its design software - is close to what the new school will look like, Alkins said.
"So that's real, that's how it will be built," he said.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held last Friday to launch the official start of construction of the long-awaited new school, which will replace John Robson Elementary.
"It's a big school. We are expecting 500 students in there on opening day, and then there is the NCL (Neighbourhoods of Learning) component," Alkins said. "It'll be a nice space, for sure."
The playground area is still under review as to how much funding will be provided to build it. Part of the site is a city-owned park with a shared-use arrangement between the school district and the city.
"The school will use park area for the school day, and then the community gets to use the site after hours," Alkins said.
"The site it tight, and it's got some change in grade from Royal (Avenue) down to Agnes (Street), and they've done a good job of making it all work. I think it'll be a nice school in that part of the city," he said.
The neighbourhood is already in transition, Alkins said, adding he expects the new school will encourage development in the area for families.
Alkins said there are no plans to build an overpass for students having to cross busy Royal Avenue.
"They don't get used, unfortunately," Alkins said about overpasses that are surrounded by crosswalks.
He doesn't expect speed laws will change on Royal Avenue when the school is built because the school's entrance is off Agnes Street, but as the community develops the city will likely look at the overall traffic patterns in the area, Alkins said.
The school is named after the Qayqayt First Nations, also known as the New Westminster Indian Band, has 12 registered members. The name roughly translates into "resting place."
The elementary school is the first step in a plan to build three new schools in the city, including a middle school and a replacement for New Westminster Secondary School.
