The New Westminster school district is looking for provincial help to make its schools a little greener.
The School District 40 board has approved its minor capital plan submission to the Ministry of Education for 2023/24. It’s asking for $7.8 million in total funding in three categories: school enhancement, carbon neutral capital and playground equipment.
Trustee Maya Russell lauded the focus on more environmentally friendly options, noting the request for air source heat pump options at five elementary schools.
“I am so thrilled to see we have prioritized moving away from gas heating and converting five big schools to the use of heat pumps,” she said at the Sept. 27 school board meeting. “I think that is a really solid, practical piece of change.”
Here’s the complete list of SD40 priorities:
School enhancement: Roof replacement, HVAC systems
- Queensborough Middle School – roof replacement, $550,000: This is the second phase of a roof replacement started this past summer due to wear and tear. Roof insulation will also be replaced and increased to make the building more energy-efficient.
- Glenbrook Middle School – HVAC, $450,000: Reheat coils will replace existing radiant panels to make the system more energy-efficient.
- Queen Elizabeth Elementary School – air handling units, $750,000: A replacement of the rooftop air handling unit for the existing school is designed to align with the new expansion of the school.
- Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary school – HVAC, $1 million: An air source heat pump would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning to electricity rather than gas.
Carbon neutral capital: Air source heat pumps
The district is pinpointing four sites to install air source heat pumps that rely on electricity rather than gas, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In priority order:
- Herbert Spencer Elementary School — $1 million
- F.W. Howay Elementary School — $1 million
- Lord Kelvin Elementary School — $1 million
- Queen Elizabeth Elementary School — $870,000
- Herbert Spencer Elementary, HVAC upgrade — $750,000
Playground equipment program
The fund allows districts to replace existing playgrounds with universally accessible ones, at a cost of $165,000 each. In priority order:
- Skwo:wech Elementary: Funding would provide a playground on the school’s upper campus to replace one lost to construction of the new school.
- Lord Kelvin Elementary
- F.W. Howay Elementary
Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, [email protected]
