A lively crowd of about 60 people gathered in Gibsons Elementary School's gymnasium March 11 to discuss the pros and cons of two sites for the new school.
Capital funds were approved two years ago for a new school in the Town of Gibsons, and School District No. 46 (SD46) staff and trustees are eager to move ahead with construction.
"There is $9.6 million. That was based on the September 2006 Gibsons catchments area of 340 students," said board chair Silas White.Superintendent Deborah Palmer said SD46 could go back to the Ministry of Education and ask for more funding for a bigger school if they can prove there is a need.
A presentation will be held in Langdale after spring break where parents there will be asked if they would like to join the new Gibsons school or stay on their own. If Langdale paired up with Gibsons, the number of students would increase by another 100.
Both elementary schools are in need of seismic repairs, although Langdale is in better condition than Gibsons elementary, Palmer said. Recently, the board was reminded by Palmer that the Gibsons school is in such poor repair that the cost to do the seismic upgrade was essentially the same cost as rebuilding, so the Ministry of Education approved funding for a new school instead. She also said the ministry is beginning to wonder why the school district has not moved ahead to build while the money sits waiting.
Pros and cons offered by the public for the two possible sites for the school were written down. Many who attended the meeting want to maintain the current site for the new school. The $100,000 worth of playground equipment, being in walking distance for most children, the historical significance of the site and the bigger parcel of land were reasons to stay.
Cons were that the old school would sit empty once students moved into the new building and possibly be unusable for liability reasons or demolished. Accessibility by vehicle, close distance to busy roadways and disruption during construction topped the negative list.
The alternate site for the school could be at the far north end of the land that Elphinstone Secondary School sits on. Addressing a concern that young children would be too close to the influences of teenagers, Palmer said, though it may not seem like it, the north property is further from the high school than the current elementary school is now. Other concerns about the new site included the lack of developed playing fields and playground equipment, less land, up-front costs the school district would have to pay for road access, sewer and possibly water connections and ferry traffic.
The pros for the Elphi site were few. Some liked that it would be close to the recreation centre and Brothers Park and away from the highway.
