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Education
January 3, 2013

Major School Infrastructure Milestones Celebrated in 2012

This past year saw several major school construction milestones reached as an extraordinary level of investment in K-12 infrastructure continued with new school construction, extensions, redevelopments, renovations, and repairs and maintenance projects undertaken throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

“I had the great pleasure of attending the official openings of Copper Ridge Academy in Baie Verte and Bayside Academy in Port Hope Simpson this past year, as well as a ceremony to mark the completion of an extension to Riverside Elementary in Clarenville” said the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education. “I also took the opportunity to tour the completed extension at St. Paul’s Intermediate in Gander over the summer. It is always gratifying to see these projects completed, and to see the genuine pride in the faces of school district staff, administrators, teachers, students, and the parent community, who are anxious to show you around, and to point out particular features of their new learning environments.”

Minister Jackman noted these four projects are among nine news schools and 12 major extensions or redevelopments that have been completed in both rural and urban areas of the province since 2004. The focus on infrastructure improvements continued in 2012, with a total of $115 million allocated for schools – including $6.9 million in new funding for major capital projects; $79 million for ongoing work on previously approved projects, and $29 million for repairs and maintenance.

“It was indeed another remarkable year in terms of our investments in school infrastructure,” Minister Jackman said. “Planning or construction work continued on 10 more new schools, which are under construction or in the planning stages in St. Anthony, Carbonear, Conception Bay South, Portugal Cove-St. Philips, Paradise, Torbay, Gander and St. John’s, which will see replacements for St. Teresa’s, Virginia Park Elementary and a new high school for the west end of the city.”

Minister Jackman said there are also seven additional rebuilds, extensions and major renovation projects currently underway or in the investigative/planning stages at Exploits Valley High in Grand Falls-Windsor, William Gillett Academy in Charlottetown, Gander Academy, Holy Spirit High in Conception Bay South, the former Regina High in Corner Brook, and Holy Heart High and Roncalli Elementary in St. John’s.

“In addition to the major projects, there were hundreds of upgrading, maintenance and repair projects carried out – including electrical and plumbing upgrades, roofing work, window and siding replacements – all designed to protect our investment in existing infrastructure,” Minister Jackman added.

Since 2004, over $567 million has been allocated for K-12 infrastructure in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is a level of investment unprecedented in the province’s history.

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

2013 01 03                        11:05 a.m.

 
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