Quesnel’s Board of Education has approved a major capital plan for next year that includes a request for two new elementary schools.
Secretary-Treasurer Jennifer Woollends confirms that the District is asking for a replacement for both Red Bluff and Voyageur Elementary Schools.
“The replacement cost for Ecole Red Bluff, based on Ministry calculations, was just over 32 million, and for the replacement of Voyageur it would be almost 28 million dollars.”
Woollends says Carson Elementary is not on the list for next year.
“Carson was put on as our number one replacement school for last year due to the nature of what’s going on at Carson. And the ministry supported us in moving to the next stage which is developing a business case as to why that school would need replacement. So we don’t need to request it again on the major capital plan submission because we’re in the process of developing a business case for that school already.”
There are land stability concerns at Carson Elementary School.
Woollends says they normally find out if their requests for major capital projects are successful in the spring.
The last time a new elementary school was built in Quesnel was back in 1997 when both Barlow Creek and Voyageur Elementary schools were replaced following fires.