Garden Valley School Division (GVSD) has put together its latest five-year capital plan, laying out a familiar list of infrastructure priorities.
Submitted annually alongside its operating budget, the capital plan gives the province a snapshot of long-term facility needs across the division. GVSD Secretary Treasurer Kevin Vovchuk said that list is put together in consultation with the division’s maintenance team.
Only so much to go around
Many of the projects being put forward again this year are not new. According to Vovchuk, some have been on the list for more than five years. With limited provincial dollars available and dozens of divisions submitting requests, only a portion of proposals are funded each cycle.
He shared that most of the division’s capital needs stem from its two oldest schools — Winkler Elementary School (WES) and Garden Valley Collegiate (GVC) — which require ongoing maintenance and upgrades. Window replacements and roof repairs continue to be high on that list.
“When you have older buildings, you tend to see more issues that need attention.”
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Getting it done anyway
When provincial funding doesn’t come through, the division sometimes chooses to move forward on its own. In the past year, GVSD self-funded two long-standing projects in the WES Office relocation, as well as the J.R Walkof Link at a cost of roughly $500,000.
“I’ve been here three years, and I know they were on [the plan] further back than that,” Vovchuk said. “So, the division board decided to self-fund those to the tune of a half million dollars.”
While progress is often slow, some projects do eventually become a priority to the province. GVSD recently received approval to tender the replacement of the roof at GVC Tech, a project that’s been on the radar for a number of years.
“It did kind of get to the top of their priority list,” said Vovchuk. “We’re pretty thankful to get a project like that underway... Roofs are incredibly expensive.”
Advocacy continues
GVSD plans to meet with provincial capital planning officials in May or June to continue advocating for its highest priorities. Vovchuk said that, when it comes to getting the big-ticket item funded, persistent communication is the key.
“If you keep hitting the same priorities and keep in their ear year after year… perhaps we can get some of the larger projects looked at,” he said (00:03:50).
As for what’s new on this year’s list? Vovchuk says it isn’t anything shiny, at least in terms of standout projects.
“Mostly roofs, to be honest.”
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