Moose Jaw’s separate school division will spend nearly $3 million during the next three years to fix up school buildings and enhance their longevity.
During their recent board of education meeting, trustees with Holy Trinity Roman Catholic School Division approved the division’s three-year preventative maintenance and renewal (PMR) plan of $2.6 million, including $1.02 million in 2021-22, $803,779 in 2022-23 and $857,368 in 2023-24.
“We’re excited. Any additional dollars there is always helpful to us,” said Sean Chase, director of education. “We’ve been in a good position as a school division where we were able to receive some additional money into PMR in the last few years. The school division has been rewarded for its patience and we’re thankful for that.”
That patience has produced a new Catholic school in Swift Current and a forthcoming joint-use school there with the Chinook School Division. Similarly, that patience will soon produce a new joint-use school on South Hill — to replace St. Mary and Sacred Heart — with Prairie South School Division, while the division will be able to replace a portion of roof at Vanier Collegiate this summer.
“We’ve had some major funding announcements — that will be to the benefit of Holy Trinity — in the last number of years. We’re very thankful for that gracious allocation … ,” said Chase, noting division administration is confident it will be able to complete many of its proposed projects during the next three years.
“The three-year plan for PMR that we submitted to the ministry (of Education) … it’s aggressive and there’s lots to get there.”
One challenge the division faces is knowing what parts of each project it will have to tender out to contractors and what can be done in-house, he continued. While there is provincial and federal stimulus money to help with its projects, another challenge is whether a suitable workforce exists to complete these projects considering the pandemic is still raging.
“We’re pretty confident and we’re excited about some of the things there (on the PMR list) that their time has come,” added Chase. “We’re excited to advance those projects.”
Moose Jaw projects
Holy Trinity plans to complete the following projects in Moose Jaw in 2021-22:
- At St. Margaret, install a new mechanical systems/HVAC for $15,000, install new gym floor for $65,000, add new windows for $15,000, remove and replace carpet floor in the library, gym office and administrative area for $52,531, and install a “walk path” between rooftop units for $52,531
- At Vanier, install new LED units for $60,000, renovate the resource centre/library for $105,063, and upgrade elevator controls for $132,458
- At Sacred Heart, install a new fire alarm system for $26,922 and replace a section of roof for $264,915
- At St. Agnes, replace a section of roof for $16,557, repair a concrete retaining wall for $30,000, and address sections of floor that are lifting throughout the school for $33,114
In 2022-23:
- At St. Margaret, remove outside stucco and install new insulation for $269,223, repair a section of roof for $45,000, add prefinished metal cladding to the exterior for $350,000, and replace an HVAC system for $15,000
- At Vanier, replacing the carpet in the library for $52,531 and replacing the floor in Sion Hall for $42,025
In 2023-24:
- At Vanier, install new LED lights for $30,000, replace three different HVAC systems for a total of $45,000, fix an exterior cinder brick wall for $107,689, and replace two sections of roof for a total of $130,000
- At St. Michael, address exterior walls and stairs for $107,689, install exterior catch basins and address grade of property for $210,125, and replace two forced air furnaces for $40,000
- At St. Agnes, replace a section of roof for $33,114
The next Holy Trinity board meeting is scheduled for August.
