A forward-looking plan to meet the maintenance and renewal requirements for the South East Cornerstone Public School Division’s school facilities was revealed to board members on May 19.
Andy Dobson, manager of facilities and transportation for Cornerstone, met with board members on line during the general business session. He explained for obvious reasons the 2021-22 plans provided more details since budgets and projects were already well defined and explored, or are in the position of being ready to move forward.
The budget of $2.7 million was welcomed since in some early years of the program, the division has had to maintain a strong facilities status quo situation with just $800,000 to $900,000 in the budget for roof repairs and other major items among the division’s 38 school facilities and other buildings.
A longer-range plan to cover the 2022 to 2025 range still lacks major details in some instances since budgets are not yet set. “We have some projects on the go, but we wait for firm numbers,” said Dobson.
Roof replacements continue to be a priority, especially following the mid-January blizzard that destroyed two school roofs and severely damaged several others. Insurance covered a good portion of those demands, but ongoing work not only on roofs but also ventilation systems, new LED lighting projects and a demolition project in the near future will all need fresh funding, he said.
With the removal of Queen Elizabeth School in Weyburn, there will be $75,000 put aside for groundwork and the creation of a new parking lot in that area, said Dobson.
Other projects such as roof replacement priorities will be established while there are plans to again consider the library relocation and renovation project at McNaughton School in Moosomin.
A renewal project for Lyndale School in Oungre was put in abeyance this past academic year due to the need to tend to more roof repairs following the storm.
That project was more cosmetic in nature, Dobson said, since it involved the updating of flooring and ceiling tiles.
The status of the ongoing new LED lighting projects around the division will also be confirmed, as new budget levels are made known by the provincial government.
