Potential renovation plans for Lumby schools have caused concern among residents.
School District No. 22 sought public input on future renovation or reconstruction options for Charles Bloom Secondary Wednesday with about 300 members of the public in attendance. Several attendees expressed concern over the statistics presented, which were compiled as part of the district’s 2016 long term facility plan.
“I don’t think the local government was consulted,” said Lumby Mayor Kevin Acton. “(A) new building gives us a 50-plus year life span, but the projections only go to 2030.”
District secretary-treasurer Sterling Olson said that the Ministry of Education only builds schools for current capacity projections, but the new facility would allow room for add-ons as required if the public opts for a new building to replace Charles Bloom.
Charles Bloom is considered to be safe but has a very poor facility rating and is in need of upgrades. JW Inglis Elementary has a facility rating of poor, and Cherryville Elementary has a rating of very poor.
The district presented three potential options for the future of the schools with a focus on Charles Bloom. The first option is to replace the Grade 7-12 building and upgrade Cherryville Elementary and JW Inglis Elementary. However, rebuilding the school would result in a smaller facility to meet area standards set out by the Ministry of Education.
Alternatively, the building could undergo major renovations, but the building would remain underutilized at 61 per cent functional operating capacity according to the report.
A third option would replace Charles Bloom Secondary as a kindergarten through Grade 12 facility and consolidate either JW Inglis or JW Inglis and Cherryville Elementary in the replacement building.
“It still may be a larger school because of the enrolment numbers, but at the end of the day the facility will still be smaller,” Olson said of option three.
A questionnaire was handed out to those in attendance. The district will then pore over the feedback and submit the findings to the Ministry of Education, at which time the district will update the report.
“This is the first step in the process,” said superintendent Joe Rogers. “The questionnaire is just looking for information (to find) what Lumby and Cherryville want for their communities.”
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