St. Patrick Catholic School (photo by Shaun Penner)

By Liam Verster

New School

St. Patrick Catholic School won’t be modernized but may be replaced

Feb 5, 2020 | 1:40 PM

A Grande Prairie school that has been closed for nearly three years may soon be replaced.

St. Patrick Catholic School was closed in March 2017, when it was discovered that the school was in need of significant remediation. The students were moved to Holy Cross School, where portables were set up.

Since then, the Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools Board has been working with the Province, to design a modernization of the school. The initial plans were complete and the tenders were sent out in December 2019. However, it was discovered that they were over budget, and while some additional funds were able to be freed up, the Deputy Ministers still decided to cancel the plan, as it was too expensive. However, they did leave the option open for a complete rebuild or building a brand new school elsewhere.

Superintendent Karl Germann says this week, he and the Board will go to Edmonton to meet with the Deputy Ministers and Alberta Education and discuss the available options.

“We ideally are looking for a new build, which they’re amenable to, or looking at something else to do with those funds. But right now, the school as it sits is too expensive to be modernized, and it would be better that a rebuild occurs or something else occurs in that area.”

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

He adds they will also discuss locations with the Province.

“We do have some spots, including the current spot. And we just want to run through what some of the demographics are in the area, what are the demographics in the school, and how can we best utilize those funds and make sure we provide spaces for kids.”

Germann adds that the Province has offered a 15-month delay in the build if the tender was denied. He says it’s been a long time since St. Patrick has been in use, but it would be worth the wait, so long as they get the right facility for the community.

“We just want to make sure that when it’s built, it’s the right thing for a long period of time. Modernizations don’t last as long, and that’s okay, but generally, a modernization shouldn’t cost more than 60 per cent of the building’s replacement cost. After that you start to question whether you should modernize it, or you should just knock it down and build another school. And that’s where we’re at now, we’re saying ‘Modernization’s too expensive, the value for the dollar isn’t going to be there, so it’s better off that we rebuild.'”

Germann and the Board will travel to Edmonton on Thursday, where they will discuss options for the school. He says by the next board meeting, on February 18, they will have a better idea of what will be happening with the school in the future, and be able to make some announcements.

While the plans for St. Patrick School are still up in the air, the work continues on the O’Brien School, which will have room for around 900 students.

Germann says at this time, there are lots of portables in use around Grande Prairie, which are good, as they ensure that students have some learning space. However, he says he wants these new schools built, as they would provide more library, gym, and class space for the children and youth in the region.