Tender Awarded for J.M. Olds Collegiate

Improvements continue at J.M. Olds Collegiate in Twillingate with an investment of approximately $1 million for electrical upgrades. The Honourable Joan Burke, Minister of Education, said today that the tender has been awarded to Jenco Limited of St. John’s.

“Making our schools safe is one of the most important investments we can make as a province,” said Minister Burke. “Learning in secure school environments is just as important as having up-to-date curriculum and modern learning resources, and government is determined to ensure students have the best of both worlds.”

Minister Burke said that in addition to the planned electrical work, the school is undergoing an exterior upgrade with the replacement of siding and doors.

This work is the result over $2 million being invested in schools in the Isles of Notre Dame, which includes an extension to New World Island Academy in Summerford. The extension will include a new fitness room and gymnasium storage room. Additional renovations will equip the school with two new computer rooms and a new skilled trades suite, which will allow the school to offer the full suite of courses in the Provincial Government’s $13 million Futures in Skilled Trades and Technology program.

“This is great news for the area,” said the Honourable Derrick Dalley, Minister of Business and MHA for the Isles of Notre Dame. “Putting funding towards improvements in school infrastructure is an important investment in our students and it ensures that they have the safest and most modern facilities possible in which to learn and develop.”

Since 2004, 128 electrical upgrades have been completed or approved province-wide, for a total value of nearly $21 million. Overall, the Provincial Government’s investments in infrastructure this year are seven times the investments made in 2004-05, at $113.5 million compared to $14.7 million six years ago.

“When we think of infrastructure, we often think of bricks and mortar and roofs,” said Minister Burke. “But interior infrastructure improvements such as carpet removal, accessibility projects, fire and life safety initiatives, and electrical upgrades all contribute to improved school environments.”

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2011 02 04                                                                          2:10 p.m.