Valleyview Secondary expansion one step closer to reality

Apr 19, 2018 | 2:29 PM

KAMLOOPS — Relief may be on the way for students and staff at the crowded Valleyview Secondary School.

The B.C. Ministry of Education has asked the district to provide a detailed project plan for expansion at the school, something School District 73 calls “a crucial first step” toward seeing a $22 million renovation there become a reality.

SD73 says it received the news in a letter from the Ministry of Education setting out its support for capital projects in the district. It included a request for a Project Definition Report for the proposed renovation. 

A Project Definition Report sets out a detailed engineering plan for capital improvement work or new construction including timelines and cost. The province has asked for the Valleyview report to be returned by November 30. The district feels it sets the stage for a funding commitment early next year.

Board of Education Chair Meghan Wade calls it “tremendous news.”

“We’re very pleased, we’re very excited, we’re very appreciative as a board and as a district. This isn’t a guarantee of capital funding but it does set us on the path.”

Expansion at Valleyview Secondary tops the capital priority list in SD73. The school operates at 140 per cent capacity, which is expected to rise to 176 per cent capacity by 2025 without an expansion. There are also eight portables on site with another one to be installed this summer.