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Now that plans for a $64-million new Cloverley elementary school in North Vancouver have been approved by the province, the school board is looking into its crystal ball and putting a new elementary school in Lower Lonsdale and a significant seismic upgrade or potential replacement of Lynnmour Elementary at the top of its wish list.
The wish list is part of the school district’s five-year capital plan submitted to the Ministry of Education each year. The wish list is based on the school district’s long-range facilities plan which looks at expected residential development, the current condition of school buildings, demographic changes and 10-year enrolment projections.
Based on estimates of another 14,500 homes being constructed in North Vancouver in the next 10 to 12 years, the school district is anticipating between 1,100 and 1,400 more students over that time period, said Jim McKenzie, the school district’s director of facilities and planning.
Among the more immediate asks to the province is a combination $40-million seismic upgrade and $19-million expansion request for Lynnmour Elementary, said McKenzie.
The school district had previously tagged the school for a potential 224-student expansion based on residential growth in the area, said McKenzie. But when the school was reviewed under new seismic guidelines “three of the blocks of the school came back high risk” for earthquake damage, he said – pushing that project up the priority list.
In response to questions from trustees, McKenzie said it’s possible the ministry could decide it makes more economic sense to build a new school than to upgrade and expand an old one. That’s something that would get decided when the requests are examined in more detail, he said.
Need for Lower Lonsdale elementary school
The school district is also still projecting a need for a brand-new school in Lower Lonsdale, where enrolment increases have been concentrated, within the next 10 years. The school district anticipates needing an elementary school with a capacity of 460 students, said McKenzie, by 2032.
School planners have estimated a potential price tag of $50.7 million to build the school, along with over $77 million to acquire land for a school site. In response to questions from trustees, however, McKenzie acknowledged that estimate is based on current estimates, and is likely to be higher by the time the project is approved.
Other projects on the school district’s wish list include school replacements or renovations with expansions of Ross Road Elementary and Seymour Heights Elementary, both estimated at between $53 million and $55 million. Those are targeted for 2029 or 2030, said McKenzie.
The school district has also submitted several requests to expand current schools to accommodate more students. Those include Carson Graham Secondary, Queensbury, Westview, Larson and Highlands elementaries and Sutherland Secondary.
Among more minor capital projects, this year the school district received $2 million for exterior building envelope work on Windsor Secondary. A further request has been submitted for additional work at the high school along with other requests for capital work at other schools.
The school district didn’t get any playground funding from the province this year, said McKenzie, but has re-submitted its request for playground funding for Sherwood Park, Eastview and Dorothy Lynas elementary schools.
