ALMAGUIN HIGHLANDS SECONDARY SCHOOL.
ALMAGUIN – Work crews are wasting no time getting into
the ground on the east side of Highway 11 as they begin construction on the new
Almaguin Highlands Secondary School.
“I signed the contract on the Saturday of the groundbreaking
and they were on site on the Tuesday,” said local trustee and Near North
District School Board chair Al Bottomley. “They really aren’t wasting any
time.”
Bottomley says the high school bid/contract came in “just
below” estimates even though, in the end, only one bid came through for the
more than $20 million building.
“We didn’t know what we were going to do. We weren’t sure
what it would mean if we opened (the bid) so we had to consult with the
Ministry (of Education) and lawyers… When we did finally open it we were
pleasantly surprised,” said Bottomley.
He says the immediate goals are for the company to have the
walls up and the building closed in before winter sets upon the region so they
can complete the interior during the inclement weather. And the project’s
co-ordinator, says Bottomley, has the project on track to do just that.
“For the luck we’ve had with this building, so far this is
much better than I was expecting,” said Bottomley.
The school is going to be smaller than the existing Almaguin
Highlands with not only fewer classrooms, but also a more compact footprint. A
press release from the board says the school will be 97,000 square feet,
consisting of 12 academic classrooms, four science labs, a resource centre for
academic skills and alternative learning programs, computer labs, a specialized
learning environment for students with development needs, studios for fine
arts, communications, theatre, music and fashion, a specialty hospitality
services classroom/kitchen and three technology shops capable of teaching construction,
manufacturing, welding, machining and small motors.
Of interest to the community will be the full-sized double
gymnasium with extra space for health and fitness programs, as well as the
cafetorium that will double as a student eating area as well as space for
theatre performances.
The board is also bragging the building will be by far its
greenest, with a host of features contributing toward that goal. These start
with the orientation of the building to shield it from cold northern winds in
the winter and capture warmth from southern currents. All classrooms are
oriented to take advantage of natural daylight and any extraneous lighting will
be controlled by occupancy sensors that automatically turn off lights when a
room is no longer being used.
With the contract signed just a couple of weeks ago,
Bottomley is now looking, with the assistance of some committees, into what
from the old school will fit into the new one.
“Anything we can’t take we’ll probably offer up to alumni in
some sort of fashion, whether it’s through ACCESS 2011 (the community group
currently fundraising through an online auction at almaguinauction.com where
people can bid on numerous donated items every week) or some other group
working to improve the school,” said Bottomley.
However, those aren’t yet issues on the mind of capital
projects manager Fraser Wardle, who is overseeing the construction process
first-hand.
Wardle reports that Pre-Eng Contracting from Concord is
currently prepping to build footings for the school in preparation for pouring
the foundation walls of the school to be constructed out of steel.
So far, he says he likes what he sees. And he’s optimistic
crews will have the building closed in before old man winter strikes so
interior work can carry forward.
“People are a lot more productive if they are warm,” said
Wardle.
He is also pointing to Pre-Eng’s track record in building
schools.
“They’ve done a lot of work with various school boards. They
have a wealth of experience with schools… high schools and elementary schools,”
said Wardle.