The Education Centre for the Rainy River District School Board is not expected to be rebuilt as planning for a new Robert Moore School here gets underway.
Although attached to the school, the Education Centre was not deemed as “prohibitive to repair” like Robert Moore. This means the cost of repairing the school exceeds the cost of building new.
Back in December, the provincial government offered to provide planning approval for a total capitalized value of $9.8 million to address facility conditions at the school.
Since then, the board has been looking into the first steps of a rebuild. A committee currently is in the process of selecting an architect for the project.
However, the funding from the government does not include the rebuild of the Education Centre.
“As soon as we received the announcement that Robert Moore was prohibitive to repair and that funding was then available, we had to start looking at what our options were for the Education Centre because we are attached to a prohibitive to repair school,” noted Laura Mills, the board’s superintendent of business.
“So we’ve been looking at a lot of options,” she added.
Those options included a renovation or rebuild of F.H. Huffman School if it is closed, a renovation or rebuild of Sixth Street School, to sever the current location from Robert Moore and refurbish the existing building, or build a new board office as an attachment to the new Robert Moore School.
Mills explained the renovation and rebuilds of F.H. Huffman and Sixth Street estimated costs are $1.7 million and $1.3 million, respectively, to address high and urgent needs plus renovation costs.
Meanwhile, a study was done by Kuch Stephenson Malo Architects and Engineer on the feasibility of severing the current location from Robert Moore School, as well as estimated costs of construction of a new building.
It was determined that refurbishing the existing space would cost $1.5 million, plus professional fees, while building a new board office would total $2.64 million.
Mills said the Education Centre Capital Project committee has discussed the viable option of financing from the working fund reserve.
“Currently that’s the most economic option to us,” she remarked.
A recommendation by the committee suggested the board approve the Education Centre remain in the existing building by severing the space from Robert Moore and refurbishing existing space/gym to accommodate Education Centre needs.
The resolution was passed, meaning they’ve agreed in principle.
“Once we get firm dollar values, it will go back to the board again to actually approve the tender or whatever it might be,” Mills said.
The earliest possible date for opening a new Robert Moore School is estimated to be September, 2010.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
