The provincial government announced a cash injection to upgrade Sea to Sky School District schools, but it is only a drop in the bucket compared with what’s needed, according to a school district document.
Howe Sound Secondary and Squamish Elementary will receive $436,000 of a $1.1 million pot to purchase a shared biomass plant that will lower greenhouse gas emissions and extend the life of existing boilers, according to a provincial news release.
The new plant will be purchased by spring 2016 and be installed early in the summer, according to the release.
“This funding will allow these schools to reduce emissions, improve air quality and extend the life of essential equipment,” Jordan Sturdy, MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, said in the release.
“Healthy learning environments are key to academic success, and once completed, these projects will enhance the school experience, enrich the connection students have with the environment and their community, and allow teachers to focus on delivering quality education.”
According to a September school district facilities Capital Asset Management report, however, it would take an injection of more than $36 million to get eight public schools in Squamish up to an ideal state, including to the latest building code.
The document lists the costs of bringing each building up to an ideal modern standard.
For Brackendale Elementary it would cost $2,257,401, Don Ross Middle School $5,288,105; Garibaldi Highlands Elementary, $3,435,110; Howe Sound Secondary, $10,313,405; Mamquam Elementary $3,875,612; Squamish Elementary, $3,968,639; the Stawamus school building $2,693,272 and Valleycliffe Elementary $1,942,817.
Rick Hume, director of facilities and services at Sea to Sky school district, cautioned that while more money would definitely help with the maintenance and upgrades to Squamish schools, the figures are ideals.
“If you have a 50-year-old house you don’t have to really replace all the electrical, maybe a few things, but not $100,000 worth,” he said. “This is ideal. You have to be careful how you read some of these.”
Hume said that annually, the district gets about $900,000 to extend the life of the 10 elementary schools, one middle school and three secondary schools in the entire school district, which includes Pemberton, Squamish, Whistler and surrounding areas.
Hume, who has been with the district since 1993, said if he could wave a magic wand, he would like $1 million per year for each Squamish school for the next five years. Squamish’s schools are aging, he said, and at least three could use upgrades to boilers, electrical and mechanical systems, walls, windows and roofing.
In the district’s current strategic plan, Brackendale, Garibaldi Highlands, Squamish Elementary, Don Ross Middle and Howe Sound Secondary are listed as in need of major upgrades to mechanical systems.
Garibaldi Highlands is identified as needing building envelope improvements and, due to the aging building and systems at Howe Sound Secondary, a major renovation to modernize the west wing is needed.
The ministry of education told The Squamish Chief that over the past three years, the Sea to Sky District has received $2.8 million in facilities grants for maintenance of existing schools.
