“Mount Mitchell” has appeared at an elementary school on Cambie Road in north Richmond.
That’s how Frank Geyer, executive director of planning and development with the Richmond School District, described the preload that has been brought to Mitchell Elementary in anticipation of seismic upgrades and a partial rebuild of the school.
Mitchell Elementary is one of seven seismic upgrade projects underway in the school district – some include improvements and additions, while others maintain the status quo of the building or even reduce its capacity, like in the case of Hugh Boyd Secondary.
Four seismic projects - McKinney, Maple Lane, Whiteside and Bridge - are being finalized, which will bring the total to 11 projects out of 31 that need to be done throughout the Richmond School District.
As part of the project consultation, Geyer said at Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting that the project team is holding in-service sessions with school staff and, if requested, with parent advisory councils as well. He added they’re trying to give out as much information as possible to dispel any rumours, for example, what happens when walls are opened up.
“We had a very successful (consultation) pilot at Steves and we’re going to be implementing that moving forward,” Geyer said.
Trustee Debbie Tablotney said the school district went several years with no seismic upgrade projects being done, but having a dedicated team doing the work instead of staff doing it off the sides of their desks has been a “godsend.”
“It feels like we’re moving ahead at lightning speed,” said Tablotney.
Trustee Donna Sargent echoed Tablotney’s praise of the project team.
She added that the board spent several years “advocating, going above and beyond, going to Victoria, asking, begging” to get schools upgraded so students and staff would be safe.
A glitch encountered by the school district is a city bylaw requiring new buildings to be built above the floodplain – this means the Mitchell addition will have to be higher than originally planned. That contingency, though, was built into the budget to allow the addition to be raised, Geyer said. This bylaw requirement will factor into other projects as well, he added.
This will the third year Geyer is heading the Richmond Project Team to get seismic upgrades done to Richmond schools.
Tablotney pointed out the facilities committee meetings, where these projects are dealt with, are open to the public – the next one is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 5 p.m. at the school district office.
Four elementary schools will be targeted for the 2021/22 capital plan which will go to the Ministry of Education as a request for funding: Diefenbaker, Dixon, Walter Lee and McKay elementary schools. The capital plan will be brought to the school district in June.
