Good news for New West families: Richard McBride Elementary School will be replaced, and Ecole Lord Tweedsmuir will get a full seismic upgrade.
The announcements – which affect almost 800 students in the city – were made during an event that’s being held at McBride this morning.
"This government is working to get every student into a seismically safe school, and today we are one step closer," said Education Minister Rob Fleming in a press release. "We are so pleased to be investing over $28.7 million for two seismic projects in the New Westminster School District, ensuring students will be safe in the event of an earthquake."
The Ministry of Education is providing $22.6 million to build a new Richard McBride Elementary School, an immediate priority under the province's seismic mitigation program. The release says the new school will have three more classrooms to accommodate enrolment growth. There will be space for the existing StrongStart program within the school, and a Neighbourhood Learning Centre to accommodate the existing before- and after-school care programs, which are housed in a portable and an outbuilding.
Students will stay in the current building while the new Richard McBride School is being built. Once the new building is complete, the 89-year-old school will be demolished, and the three portables that are in use will be removed from the site. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2018, with completion anticipated in winter 2021.
"Students and parents at Richard McBride and Lord Tweedsmuir have been waiting a very long time for this. Nothing is more important than the safety of our children, and I am proud to be part of a government that is putting them first," said Judy Darcy, MLA for New Westminster, in the release. "I look forward to watching the progress unfold on these important projects, which will serve our community for many years to come."
École Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary will also get a $6.1-million seismic upgrade. The school was built in 1937, with an additional classroom block added in 1943. The original portion of the school, including the gymnasium, is rated as having a high risk of failure in the event of a significant earthquake. Six portables will be brought in to accommodate students while the school is upgraded. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and expected to be complete in fall 2020.
