Parents, students, teachers, and staff can breathe a sigh of relief with the announcement on Tuesday that Port Renfrew Elementary will be replaced with a new school.
The old school, which had been earmarked for seismic upgrades or replacement due to safety concerns, will be replaced with a safer, modern one with room for 50 students at a cost of $12 million.
“Having served as a trustee and the former chair of the Sooke School District, I know from a deep personal connection how important this replacement is to people in Port Renfrew and the Pacheedaht First Nation,” Ravi Parmar, MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca said in a media release.
“The new school is the single largest public investment that Port Renfrew has seen in decades. I am so proud that it will provide students and the entire community a place to gather, learn, play and grow.”
Amanda Dowhy, chair of the Sooke School District board of education, said the collaboration with the Pacheedaht First Nation during the past few years was instrumental in moving the project forward.
“We are thrilled that approval has been granted by the Ministry of Education and Child Care for the construction of a sustainable and seismically safe 50-seat replacement school in Port Renfrew,” Dowhy said. “We look forward to furthering our partnership as the school project progresses from plans to reality.”
Funding for the school will come from the B.C. government’s seismic mitigation program, which will provide $1.6 billion for seismic upgrades or replacements for 63 schools.
The government has provided $270 million during the past six years to accommodate 2,660 new students. Projects include the new Pexsisen Elementary, Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School, an addition to Royal Bay Secondary, and Scianew Stelitkel Elementary, a 480-seat school with on-site child care that’s under construction.
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