Education
February 14, 2011

Construction to Begin Soon on New St. Anthony School

Brook Construction Incorporated has been awarded the tender to construct a new, $18.7 million K-12 school in St. Anthony.

“People in the St. Anthony area have been looking forward to seeing this project progress, and excitement has been building since work started on the adjacent Polar Centre,” said the Honourable Joan Burke, Minister of Education. “We are pleased to move forward on this state-of-the-art learning centre, which will include the most modern building features and the most up-to-date teaching and learning resources.”

The school will be a 5,610 square metre, two-storey facility constructed to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, in accordance with the Provincial Energy Plan. It will house a gymnasium and fitness centre, a commercial kitchen and lunchroom, a skilled trades suite, computer, music and home economics rooms, a resource centre, and a student support services suite, all of which will complement a wide range of enhancements made to the educational curriculum since 2004. All instructional areas will be wired for the latest technologies. The anticipated completion date is September 2013.

The school is expected to accommodate about 440 students from St. Anthony and surrounding areas.

“This is a unique project in that it is the first school building in the province to have a municipal arena attached,” said Minister Burke. “With the arena so close at hand, students can engage in many different types of recreational opportunities, while promoting healthy living and active lifestyles to the community at large.”

The St. Anthony school is one of 14 new schools recently opened, under construction, or in the planning stages. Budget 2010: The Right Investments – For Our Children and Our Future has allocated $113 million for K-12 infrastructure throughout the province including new schools, extensions, roofing projects, window and siding replacements, electrical system upgrades, and renovated skilled trades suites. Since 2004, almost $465 million has been committed to school infrastructure projects throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Media contact:
Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Education
709-729-0048, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca 

2011 02 14                                                     10:35 a.m.