The proposed modernization of Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) has been approved for “planning” funding as part of a new initiative within the 2023 provincial budget.
On March 1, a day after Budget 2023 was released, education minister Adriana LaGrange hosted a news conference to release further details on the 58 education-related capital projects within the budget, which includes 13 full construction projects, 20 design, 14 planning and 11 pre-planning projects.
A total of $372 million has been allocated for the construction and design projects, including BCHS, while $4 million has been slated to support planning for 14 projects and $1 million has been allocated for pre-planning.
“Alberta’s young learners are the community and business leaders of tomorrow. They need the right spaces to gain the tools and skills needed to prepare them for bright futures,” said LaGrange, in a release.
“By investing in our schools, we’re investing in our students while at the same time creating more jobs and supporting the local economy.”
The proposed modernization and right-sizing of BCHS, which has been roughly estimated to cost around $29 million, has been the top priority in the school division’s capital plan since the construction of the new Neerlandia Public Christian School.
However, trustees voted earlier this year to make it the only priority in the 2023-2026 year’s capital plan with the idea of getting it approved by Alberta Education.
“Pembina Hills is very pleased to have (Barrhead Composite High School) selected as one of the 20 schools in the ‘design’ category,” said board chair Judy Lefebvre, in an e-mail.
When asked what the next steps will be, Lefebvre indicated the division expects to receive a letter of approval from Alberta Infrastructure outlining what will occur next.
“We are also assuming that there will be RFPs for construction considerations, as well as drawings and specifications,” she said.
Lefebvre added that they are anticipating collaboration and consultation with engaged parties, referencing the possibility that the modernized BCHS will have some additional space for childcare, which the town of Barrhead is desperately in need of.
They are also anticipating meetings with representatives from Alberta Education and Infrastructure throughout the course of the project development, she said.
Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken said he was “quite happy” to have reached this point, noting that BCHS hasn’t received any significant upgrading since he was in school.
van Dijken said he meets annually with the education minister to relay what he is hearing from his local school divisions, and Barrhead was one of the projects that was brought up.
He noted that because it’s basically understood what is needed in Barrhead, that should speed up the process to a certain degree.
However, he noted that he has six different school divisions within his riding and there were other school projects in more desperate need than BCHS.
“It kind of highlights the workload that a rural MLA has compared to an urban MLA,” he said.
