MOOSE JAW — Construction on the joint-use school on South Hill is nearly complete, which means Moose Jaw’s two school divisions are looking to purchase furniture and other equipment to outfit their respective buildings.
Prairie South School Division has budgeted $900,000 to acquire equipment for classrooms and offices at Coteau Hills Elementary School, while it has signed onto a school furniture tender program that Regina Catholic School Division initiated, said a report presented during the June board meeting.
In May, the organization kicked off the equipment acquisition process by issuing $530,688 in tenders, including $117,609 to Concept3 Business Int., $82,800 to HBI Office Plus and $330,279 to Spaces Inc. Furthermore, it extended a February quote price for interactive TVs and placed an additional order for those devices with Matrix Video Communications Corp. for $25,820.
“We have bought a lot of furniture for the new school,” Ron Purdy, superintendent of finance, told trustees, pointing out that joining Regina Catholic’s tender program has been beneficial since the scheme has given Prairie South “very good prices” on equipment.
Continuing, Purdy said the division office has ordered most of the furniture and it should arrive before the new school opens this fall. Moreover, the additional interactive TVs that Prairie South acquired from Matrix Video will also be installed in Coteau Hills Elementary to ensure the building has modern technology.
Asked if any furniture from Empire or Westmount schools will be transferred to the new building for use, Purdy said it was unlikely that the division would take much from those venues since almost everything going into the building will be brand new.
Besides Empire and Westmount schools, St. Mary and Sacred Heart with Holy Trinity Catholic School Division will also be closing at the end of June. In turn, the students and staff from those buildings will move into Our Lady of Hope Elementary School.
Empire held a farewell event on June 3, while Westmount held its community-focused goodbye activities on June 5. Meanwhile, both Catholic schools plan to hold their farewell events on Saturday, June 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Empire is the oldest standing school on South Hill and in Moose Jaw after its main building was constructed in 1909; Ross School is the next oldest in the city since it was constructed in 1913. Meanwhile, the main Westmount building was constructed in 1921; similar to many schools over the years, Empire and Westmount have had extra wings added to the building over the years.
The next Prairie South board meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 2.
