Council supports renovations to Aurora College
Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services
Inuvik (Mar 09/01) - Construction of a new campus for Aurora College could proceed sooner rather than later.
Town council agreed last week to support a recommendation by a community education committee which has been studying the Department of Education, Culture and Employment's capital spending plans for Inuvik over the next several years.
Mayor Peter Clarkson, who appointed the committee last fall, said over the next five to seven years about $30 million will be spent on three projects -- renovations to Sir Alexander and Samuel Hearne schools, and a new Aurora College campus.
SAMS is currently first in line among these projects. Starting in the fiscal year 2001-02, money is to be allocated towards planning renovations to the school, with the actual work to commence the following year.
Under the proposal agreed to by the committee, and endorsed by council, the new campus will be moved ahead of SAMS.
Council will write a letter expressing the community's wishes to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.
"I would think by the next council meeting we'll have hopefully a response back," Clarkson said.
Council meets again March 12 and 14.
"The feeling was that the college is in the most dire straits, and SAM school and the high school are still functioning well," Clarkson said.
Not long ago Mary Beckett, chair of the Inuvik District Education Authority, raised concerns about the renovations to SAMS.
She pointed out that under the capital standards, that school and Samuel Hearne combined are only about 60 per cent occupied.
Beckett expressed fears that renovations might be done to only part of SAMS, with the other part being closed off or even torn down.
Clarkson said moving the college first in line could help the SAMS situation as well.
"By putting the college first that gives us a good two to three years to lobby and establish that community need in that entire building, and not have, you know, one arm of SAMS torn off or whatever," the mayor said.
