With Garden Valley School Division students learning and working inside of school buildings from the fall through to the spring; summer is the time to upkeep the buildings themselves.
This year, the J.R. Walkof Elementary School is housing one of the larger projects, in the form of a linking from the main building to the modular classrooms that were built prior to the construction of Pine Ridge, which saw to the student population at J.R. Walkof becoming smaller, and the school less crowded.
Superintendent of Garden Valley School Division Dan Ward expounded on the project, “We are working on the link from the main class or the main school to the modular classrooms... the linkage that the school division had put in years ago really was in need of major renovations. There was water damage and just leveling in terms of going from the outside in.”
The other larger project being worked on this summer is the relocation of the school office of Winkler Elementary School. Ward explained, “Like most schools, in particular the newer ones, when you walk into the school you are greeted by the office space, and you check in there. Not only does it make the school a more welcoming environment, it also enhances safety.”
The office relocation is on schedule but will still be in progress come the school year in the fall. “It's gonna be cordoned off with safety in mind, but also keeping in mind the flow of students and classroom use.”
The two projects combined will cost roughly $500,000 total. “...just under $100,000 for the J.R. Walkof link, and just over $400,000 for the Winkler Elementary office relocation, and we had a bit of a surplus over the last two years or so. And so, we’ve set up what’s considered a capital reserve to fund these projects.”
Both projects are on schedule with the J.R. Walkof linkage projected to be completed before the school year, and the Winkler Elementary office relocation in autumn.
Click the link below to listen to the full interview with Superintendent Dan Ward.