French school board wants input on gym
One design proposed for Ecole Allain St-Cyr expansion
Kirsten Fenn
Northern News Services
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The superintendent of the city's French school board says she had hoped for better consultation on a court-ordered gymnasium that is expected to be constructed at Ecole Allain St-Cyr this spring.
Yvonne Careen, superintendent of Commission scolaire francophone Territoires du Nord-Ouest, said a request for proposals for an architect and contractor went out in January and closes March 24.
Education, Culture and Employment Minister Alfred Moses announced in February at the legislative assembly that the gym is expected to be complete by fall 2018.
Careen said the education department presented the school board with just one possible design for the gym last July. The department took the commission's suggested changes into account when it showed the commission an updated version in October, Careen said.
"But we haven't seen those designs since, nor have we been able to revisit those designs," said Careen.
"What I have stressed and asked for from (the department) is a more collaborative approach to this project, because up until now, everything has been very rushed."
In 2015, the NWT Court of Appeal ordered the territorial government to build a new gym at Ecole Allain St-Cyr, along with teaching space for students with special needs.
The territorial government is looking at constructing a 404-square-metre gymnasium, along with two classrooms and two special needs rooms, Careen said. The gym would be seven metres tall.
Olin Lovely, assistant deputy minister of corporate services for the education department, said the government has applied for additional funding from Heritage Canada.
If the application is successful, it would allow for a larger gym that is 478 square metres, he said.
He expects to hear an answer on the application in a few weeks.
Although he said he didn't know how much the construction of the gym would cost, Careen said the GNWT has set aside $12.7 million for the school expansion.
On Feb. 17 in the legislative assembly, Frame Lake MLA Kevin O'Reilly questioned the education minister about how much the commission scolaire was consulted on the school's expansion.
Moses simply said the department worked with the commission on the design.
Lovely said the department has met with the commission several times, including in the design phase, and plans to meet with the commission again.
But even with consultation, he said there is not a lot of room for adjustment.
"Right now, the design is what the design is," Lovely said.
"We are building this gymnasium as a result of a ruling of the court. Because of that, we're very limited in what we can do."
Lovely said the education department has made changes based on the commission's requests, such as creating a space that would allow for cooking classes. But Careen wonders how the commission can be sure the gym is the best version possible for the school when it only offered one design option.
She said Ecole Allain St-Cyr will continue to be at a disadvantage compared to other Yellowknife schools if the smallest possible gym is built.
"After Grade 8, these students and their parents look to the other two high schools, look what's possible, look at the programming, look at the physical attributes of the buildings and look at all of the different possibilities for their children," she said.
She said high school students need a legitimate sized basketball court, the roof clearance to play volleyball and a gymnasium that is not "second class" to other schools in the city.
