Renovations are underway at École Qayqayt Elementary School to turn a former community space into classrooms.
Matt Brito, the school district’s director of facilities and operations, updated trustees at their operations committee meeting on April 11 about the work being done to create two new classrooms in the overcrowded downtown school.
School District 40 decided last fall that it would renovate the designated Neighbourhood Learning Centre (NLC) space in the school for classrooms. The NLC space was built under a provincial funding program that allows school districts to build new schools with extra space dedicated for community use.
The space had been occupied by New Westminster Family Place, but the organization — which offers programs and support for families with young children — was forced to move out so the district could add more space to cope with rapid enrolment growth at the school.
Brito said the district team was able to take advantage of spring break to get some of the most disruptive demolition work done without students in the building — such as removing walls and jackhammering the floor to move plumbing lines.
Other work — including HVAC, lighting, flooring and cabinetry — remains to be done, but Brito said the work is well on its way to be ready for classrooms in September 2023.
The new classroom space that’s being created helped the district to avoid the need for a registration lottery at the school this fall.
But the long-term space crunch in New Westminster schools remains while SD40 awaits funding for a planned new elementary school on the Fraser River Middle School site.
Meanwhile, New West Family Place has found new premises in commercial space at 960 Quayside Dr., next to the Inn at the Quay and River Market.
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