The School District 73 board held its final meeting before summer break this week and among the items on the agenda was a review of its capital plan.

The lengthy list of projects includes new schools, replacement schools, expansions to current sites and the need for land acquisition.

Board Chair Kathleen Karpuk says it is quite a comprehensive and detailed list. “Of course Parkcrest is definitely one of our biggest concerns. It is something that we had been hoping that we would have been able to have a firm commitment from the provincial government and an announcement sometime this spring. That hasn’t happened. Obviously COVID has probably played a part in that, but it is something that the board is extremely concerned about. We had hoped to be much further along at this point.

“The longer that we delay on this project the more portables that we wind up placing at schools. So Parkcrest is our number one project that we’re hoping to have happen very quickly.”

Karpuk says that Parkcrest students will continue to attend George Hilliard and it will be adding portables as necessary as the neighbourhood expands.

Of course the needs for the district go far beyond a new Parkcrest elementary school.

“One in Pineview Valley, one in Batchelor Heights, a secondary school in Aberdeen, a new elementary school in Juniper Ridge and a new school in Sun Peaks. We’re at the point right now where we have portables at almost every single one of our schools in the district, certainly within the boundaries of the city of Kamloops and we are getting very, very worried about having space for our students.”

In terms of when some of this work could get underway, Karpuk says the board would like to see some of these sooner than later. “But the timing is out of our hands. That’s up to the provincial government. They control when new schools are built, they have to approve them.

“We’ve been adding portables every year for the last few years. We’re running out of space to add portables at Sahali Secondary that’s why we need to actually buy a piece of property for a new secondary school in Aberdeen and build a new secondary school in Aberdeen to deal with the overflow and overcrowding that is happening at Sahali. We don’t necessarily have room to expand that school.

“We do have a lot of asks on our wish list. We’re including an addition on Brocklehurst Middle School. We’re looking at replacing Dallas elementary. That school is old, it’s overcrowded, we need more space.”

A list of projects and their projected cost is laid out below.