By Shaun Penner

New school site purchased next to Five Mile Hall

Feb 27, 2019 | 11:01 AM

The Peace Wapiti Public School Division may have another school in the near future.

The County of Grande Prairie passed second and third reading of the purchase of 136.64 acres of land at Monday’s council meeting. The land is earmarked as the future site for a K-8 school, located adjacent to Five Mile Hall on Township Road 714.

“Probably 18 months ago Peace Wapiti (School Division) indicated an interest in a school site east of Grande Prairie,” said County Chief Administrative Officer Bill Rogan. “We have been working with them through 2018 to identify potential sites. Eventually we fell on that particular property.”

The parcel was purchased by the County for $1.25-million. Rogan indicates that the school site would use up approximately 15-16 acres of that parcel, which gives the County plenty of other options in terms of how to use the remainder.

“The County sees some opportunities there in the future, whether its recreation or facilities as the County grows, that could be placed on the lands,” said Rogan. “We may keep more of that or eventually re-sell. At this point, council thought it was a good opportunity. It met the needs of the school and we can make some decisions in the next year or two on what to do with the balance.”

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Rogan also mentioned that the County and PWPSD are currently in discussions on another potential school site in the Clairmont area but did not say if a specific area had been chosen.

In an email to EverythingGP, PWPSD Board Chair Dana McIntosh spoke on the purchase:

“The Board and Executive Team at Peace Wapiti Public School Division have successfully worked with the County of Grande Prairie in the past to secure school sites, and we look forward to continuing this partnership. The passing of the second and third reading of the bylaw to purchase land at Five Mile Hall was welcomed news for all who have been involved in this process since we shared our 2015 Capital Plan goals with the County. This is an important first step, as the Government of Alberta’s process dictates that in order to approve a new school, they must first see proof of an available lot, with municipal services in place.”

There is currently no timeline for when the new school will be built.