Residents are reminded that construction is ongoing at the Weyburn Comprehensive, and that to be especially cautious as the contractors will be starting contract two later this year.
Residents are reminded that construction is ongoing at the Weyburn Comprehensive, and that to be especially cautious as the contractors will be starting contract two later this year.
Contract one of the Comp renovation is three months behind schedule. It is estimated that contract one should be completed my mid to late October.
"Since the general contract, Quorex is already on site, they can start contract two prior to completion of contract one," said Andy Dobson, manager of facilities for Southeast Cornerstone Public School Board.
Once classroom spaces, and the daycare are completed in contract two, the older brick area of the school (the former Collegiate) will be vacated.
"The contractor will have to do hazardous material removal before they bring the wrecking ball," said Dobson. The older brick area will be demolished in contract two.
The Quorex construction site offices have also moved, relocating from the north side of the school to the east side, in the parking lot that had provided parking for the Southeast Regional College.
"We have crews putting in cache basins in the north parking lot, then they will progress to asphalt paving. All that work outside of the north entrance should be completed by the end of September," said Dobson.
This does mean a slight change to the bus loading and unloading zone. "Our bus hub is going to be temporarily located on the east side of Queen Elizabeth, where the teachers parking lot is located. We measured it, and we can park three rows of busses, with seven busses in each of the rows," said Dobson.
The temporary bus hub will stay located in the east parking lot of Queen Elizabeth for the entire winter. "We just don't want the busses on the new parking lot until it is cured," said Dobson.
There will be limited parking space for Comp and Queen Elizabeth teachers and staff at the start of the year, but once the parking lot is paved they will be able to move their cars into the new north parking lot.
Students, teachers, staff and the general public will still have to navigate through the Comp school itself, as construction continues during the school year.
Currently, the main entrance is the B-doors, and visitors to the school will have to manoeuver through the halls to reach the main offices, located at the north end of the school.
Once the north door is completed, residents will be able to enter the Comp school through the Colleen Weimer hall, and access the main office, located right by the north doors.
The former A-doors will become access only to the Sunrise Infant Toddler Care Centre, once children and staff are relocated out of their former location in the older section of the school.
The Comp renovations is just one piece of the puzzle in the complete Weyburn Facilities Plan by Cornerstone. Once the Comp is completely renovated, it will become a Grade 7 to 12 facility. Further to the Weyburn Facilities Plan, the Weyburn Junior High will be changed into an elementary school, with junior high students relocating into the new Comp facility.
Cornerstone trustees are still waiting on direction by the Ministry of Education to know if they will be renovating the former WJH, or building a new elementary facility. An architect had recently recommended that Cornerstone builds a new facility over a renovation.
Ministry officials were toured through Haig and Queen Elizabeth school on Thursday, as those are the two elementary school that will be relocated to the new elementary school. Once the two schools are empty, they will be decommissioned.
"The Ministry of Education is working on a new capital prioritization plan for the whole province," said Dobson. "They will develop a provincial-wide point system, and rate school divisions on a 'report card', in regards to their capital project requests."
Cornerstone can't move forward on an architect drawing for the new elementary school - if it is a renovation or new construction - until they receive this report card.
