This update provides a summary of the special public meeting of Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board held Thursday, August 13, 2015 at the Education Centre. It is an unofficial summary of the meeting; official minutes will be approved at the next regular meeting in September 2015.
Recommendation
Tender for construction of the new Trenton elementary school
Board members approved a tender in the amount of $10.3 million to Garritano Bros. Ltd. for construction of the new Trenton elementary school.
Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board is excited about the facility renewal advancements being made to create outstanding learning environments in our district. The new Trenton elementary school will bring together students from Breadner Elementary School, College Street Public School and Queen Elizabeth Public School.
This is the fourth new school being built in HPEDSB. Trenton will have a new, state-of-the-art learning facility for students, families and the community. Connecting with families and the community has been an important part of our process and we are looking forward to that continuing
DETAILS OF THE NEW SCHOOL
The new school will be designed similar to others that have been built in our district in the past two years:
- It will be a rectangle-shaped 1.5 storey building of 55,500 square feet for 560 students.
- The centre corridor (from front to back) will have a learning commons (library), a 2-sided stage and a large gymnasium. Standing in the front foyer, you will be able to see straight through to the back gym wall.
- The classroom learning environments will be bright and colourful with large windows for natural light. They will include spaces where students can learn together, play together and work together.
The new Trenton elementary school will be built on the exact location of the existing Queen Elizabeth Public School. In order for that to happen, Queen Elizabeth Public School closed as of June 30, 2015. Demolition of the school is underway and will be completed in early September. Construction is scheduled to begin as soon as the demolition is complete.
Planning for this project began in the spring of 2014 following an accommodation review for some Trenton schools. The proposed opening date is January 2017.
PLANS FOR SCHOOL START-UP IN SEPTEMBER 2015
The following are planned for September 2015:
- QUEEN ELIZABETH PUBLIC SCHOOL Closed at the end of June 2015. Students will move to Breadner Elementary School from September 2015 to January 2017. Students will then move to the new Trenton elementary school in January 2017.
- BREADNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Students will remain at Breadner. Students will move to the new Trenton elementary school in January 2017. In the meantime, Breadner will welcome all students from Queen Elizabeth Public School in September.
- NORTH TRENTON PUBLIC SCHOOL Will become a K - Grade 5 school in September 2015, then a K - Grade 6 school in September 2016. Students going into Grade 7 will move to the new Trenton elementary school in September 2017.
- V.P. CARSWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Will become a K - 8 school during construction. Intermediate students will move to the new Trenton elementary school in September 2017.
- COLLEGE STREET PUBLIC SCHOOL No changes. Students will move to the new Trenton elementary school in January 2017.
- PRINCE CHARLES PUBLIC SCHOOL Is not affected by the new school build.
- TRENTON HIGH SCHOOL Although the high school is not affected by the new school build, Trenton High will continue to welcome all Grade 8 students who are going into Grade 9.
Upcoming meetings
All meetings take place at the Education Centre unless otherwise noted.
- Tuesday, September 8: Executive Committee, 11:00 a.m.
- Monday, September 14: Program and Human Resources Committee, 5:30 p.m.
- Monday, September 14: Operations and Finance Committee, 7:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, September 23: Audit Committee, 3:30 p.m.
- Thursday, September 24: Special Education Advisory Committee, 5:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer, extension 2354, [email protected]