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Construction projects get the green light

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release
October 26, 2011

GUELPH, Ontario — Trustees on the Upper Grand District School Board voted to proceed with a number of construction projects at their meeting on October 25. The projects are part of the Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) Capital Plan, a district-wide strategy to provide classroom space for full day kindergarten students by 2014, and to relieve enrolment pressures in high-growth areas.

Renovations and additions valued at $4.6 million will go ahead at five elementary schools in Guelph and Shelburne, but the biggest single project approved by Trustees was the construction of a new JK-8 elementary school in Guelph. The present-day Laurine Avenue Public School is to be torn down and replaced by a new two-storey building at an estimated cost of $6.7 million. The planned opening date for the new school is September 2013.

Trustees also revisited motions made a year ago concerning the use of King George P.S. and Tytler P.S., in light of the plans for Laurine Avenue.

Trustees stuck with a previous motion to close Tytler Public School at the end of this school year, but after hearing from a parent delegation they passed a motion that designates the Tytler building as a holding school effective September 2012. Students from Tytler will eventually go to the new Laurine Avenue school in September 2013, but the holding school designation allows them to stay at their school until Laurine Avenue opens its doors.

“The use of holding schools as temporary accommodation is something we occasionally have to do,” said Board chair Bob Borden. “In the 2008-2009 school year we rebuilt John McCrae Public School, and while that school was being demolished and reconstructed the students were housed at the former College Avenue Public School.”

“I think the Tytler parents left the meeting happy, knowing that their children would not be moved to King George for one year, and bounced over to Laurine the next.”

The new King George P.S., presently under construction, was previously destined to become a JK-8 regular track school opening in September 2012. It has now been temporarily designated as a holding school for the new Laurine Avenue P.S. JK-grade 8 population.

The new school at Laurine Avenue will have up to 17 classrooms, a design tech room, gymnasium, seminar rooms, resource room, library, staff room, work room and offices for administration. It is situated on a 3.9-acre lot at the end of Laurine Avenue. The lack of turning space for school busses means the site is best suited for a community school with a large percentage of walking students.

The single-storey school building that currently exists was constructed in 1959, with just seven classrooms for kindergarten to grade 6. Due to its small size and age, the board had previously decided to close Laurine Avenue P.S. at the end of this school year.

Although it will have a much bigger square footage, it is expected that the new two-storey school will occupy a similar footprint, preserving much of the school yard landscape, trees and playground.

Trustees also directed staff to proceed with expansions and renovations to three other elementary schools in the City of Guelph:

Also going forward are renovations at two elementary schools in the Town of Shelburne:

Purpose built kindergarten rooms are 1,000 square feet, which is larger than the typical classroom size of 750 square feet.

The projects are all part of the board’s FDK Capital Plan, an $89-million initiative to expand the board’s capacity for full-day junior and senior kindergarten students, and add more classroom space in neighbourhoods with high growth in enrolment.

For more information visit www.ugdsb.ca/fdk

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For more information:

Maggie McFadzen, Communications Officer
519-822-4420 ext. 725
[email protected]

Mark Weidmark, Administrative Officer – Communications
519-822-4420 ext. 544
[email protected]

Categories: Media Releases