School District 72 (SD72) will be receiving $100,000 from the provincial government for mechanical upgrades for Pinecrest Elementary, according to a provincial announcement.
SD72 will receive this money as part of the $45-million the government is putting towards 80 ministry-approved projects as part of the School Enhancement Program, education minister Mike Bernier announced.
“This fix-it fund will help make sure B.C. students have safe, healthy and modern places to learn,” Bernier said in the release on the funding. “Not only will this help make schools in every district in the province more comfortable for students and staff, it’s also going to make sure we are protecting and enhancing infrastructure worth millions of dollars.”
It’s unclear at this point what the $100,000 for Pinecrest will be going towards repairing or upgrading, as Pinecrest is currently in need of approximately $1-million in mechanical upgrades, based on the school district’s “wish list” sent to the government in November.
Other improvements on the SD72 wish list include seismic upgrades for Cortes Elementary Junior Secondary, $330,000 worth of roof work on Carihi Secondary and fire sprinkler systems for Penfield and Sandowne Elementary schools as well as Southgate Middle School. These improvements are slated to be spread out over the next five years at a cost of more than $7 million.
The School Enhancement Program, the government announcement says, builds on last year’s $35-million Routine Capital Program investment, which was shared amongst 109 projects province-wide.