Highlights of the August 2012 board meeting
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
August 31, 2012
The Regular Monthly Meeting of the Upper Grand District School Board was held on Tuesday, August 28. The following are highlights from the meeting.
Secondary School Vice-principal Appointment
Congratulations to Ian Main, a teacher at Orangeville District Secondary School who has been named temporary Vice-principal at College Heights Secondary School effective September 1, 2012.
Architect Appointment – Lee Street Public School
ZAS Architects Inc Toronto has been named as the architectural firm for the new Lee Street Public School in Guelph. ZAS was one of seven firms from the board’s pool of qualified architects invited to submit proposals on the Lee Street design to fit the challenging site. Preliminary drawings have been approved, subject to the upcoming approval of the Concept Design Report. Staff intend to work with ZAS to futher develop the drawings and to have a single building committee meeting to review the developed concept before recommendation to the board.
Centre Dufferin DHS Parking Lot Safety
Trustees approved the closure of the through access to Cedar Street from the high school’s parking lot in the Town of Shelburne and to install the necessary barriers and gates as soon as possible. Concerns about traffic volume and speeding prompted the board to bring the issue to the attention of Town Council in the fall of 2009. Subsequently, the board and the Town signed a Memorandum of Understanding giving the board the right to evaluate the effectiveness of agreed-to traffic calming measures and traffic counts. As a result of this evaluation the recommendation to close the access and install barriers was approved. The barriers will permit emergency services access to the parking lot. The Town will be notified of this decision and work will begin as soon as possible.
New Orangeville School Building Project Report
The construction of a new elementary school in Orangeville, in the area known as Settler’s Creek, was approved by the board. The school has a target opening date of 2014. Identified in the Full Day Kindergarten Capital Plan, the new school will house a JK to grade 8 program and accommodate approximately 308 students on opening.The project has been approved by the Ministry of Education with funding coming from New Public Places (NPP) and Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) grants. Schematic designs developed by staff will be used and the school size can be increased when required by way of an addition. In order to build the school for September 2014 opening, the regular process needs to be compressed. Similar to the project in Guelph at Laurine Avenue there will be a User Advisory Group which will meet once, not a Building Committee. It is proposed by staff that the school’s architectural plans will be used again for a new school in Rockwood. As a result, an architect has not yet been selected as the firm will be used for both new schools. The target budget is estimated at $6.098 million.
New South Guelph School Building Project Report
A new JK to grade 8 school, referenced as needed due to increased enrolment in both the Regular Track and French Immersion programs in the area by the Central Guelph Accommodation Review, was approved by the Board. The site is on Zaduk Place in South Guelph in a developing subdivision. Expected to open in September 2014, the school will be built to house 449 students and has a target budget of $7.298 million. Due to timing, this project will also be compressed with a single meeting of a User Advisory Committee and the use of a repeat school design which will determine the selection of an architect. This project has been approved by the Ministry and will be paid for with NPP and FDK funds. The school’s boundary must be set with a report coming to the board in September to start the process.
Full Day Kindergarten Projects
A series of 10 projects renovation and construction projects for FDK were approved by the board. All of the projects will require a competitive procurement process and will be undertaken as soon as possible. In some cases, approval is required from the Ministry of Education. The schools that are included are: Alma, Credit Meadows, Island Lake, Priory Park, Rickson Ridge, Salem, Willow Road, Centre Peel, Westwood and JD Hogarth. Major projects will be presented to trustees for consideration as will any significant design changes. The projects are posted at www.ugdsb.ca/fdk.
Summer Projects and Solar Panel Update
Capital Projects Manager Paul Scinocca provided an update on the work done over the summer at multiple schools, and the progress of the board’s initiative to install Photo Voltaic solar panels on a series of schools. Along with the construction of the new King George school and demolition of Laurine Avenue PS, projects were also accomplished at Mitchell Woods, Ponsonby, Ken Danby, Centennial Hylands, Primrose and other elementary schools throughout the district., In addition, Scinocca’s department also undertook a variety of paving, roofing, and renewal projects at both elementary and secondary schools. Solar panels were installed in Guelph, Centre Wellington and Orangeville providing energy to the province’s electrical grid and additional funding for the Board through the FIT program. While some projects are not quite complete all schools will be ready for staff and students on Tuesday, September 4.
The next regular monthly meeting of the Board will be held on Tuesday, September 25 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Guelph Board Office, 500 Victoria Road North. Everyone is welcome to attend.
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