News

B.C. commits $8 million to new elementary school

By Jennifer Bednard

Provincial funding for the new elementary school in UniverCity has been officially confirmed. The as of yet unnamed school, which proposes to open its doors in fall 2010, is expected to become a valued part of the community, and is also a step towards Arthur Erickon’s original vision of a community-oriented university.

The elementary school is a joint project funded by three sources: the province of British Columbia, which is contributing $8 million, the Burnaby School District, and the SFU Community Trust, which are both contributing $1.25 million, respectively.

This collaboration is an example of a new approach to infrastructure funding, as Education Minister Shirley Bond explains that, “In the current economic climate, we are looking for creative partnering arrangements that are cost-effective, that can start within weeks, and that will support jobs in B.C. This project is an outstanding example of an innovative approach.” The school is expected to create 65 jobs.

To create the school, an existing building in the heart of UniverCity will be renovated in order to contain enough classrooms for 40 kindergarten students and 275 elementary students; a new gymnasium will also be built.

The school will be created according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, and will be the first school renovation project to have a “gold” distinction. The landscape and irrigations will be water-efficient, and three-quarters of the interior will be at least partially illuminated by natural light. Seventy-five per cent of the current building will be reused, and the entire structure will undergo many seismic upgrades. The school is expected to open in September 2010, and will reach full capacity by 2012.

In 1963, Arthur Erickson and Geoff Massey first conceived the idea of UniverCity as an essential part of the university. Plans for the development, which originally included a compact, transit-oriented community with a school at its heart, were created more recently in 1996. This vision started to become a reality in 2001, when the zoning was approved, including zoning for an elementary school. More recently, approval for the elementary school was granted in April 2008, and its final form decided on. On January 29, funding for the school was confirmed.

Families living at UniverCity or those whose children are currently attending a licensed childcare program within the area are considered to be residing within the new school’s catchment area.

Those living outside the attendance area of the school will have to fill out a cross-district application in order to have their children attend, and those outside of Burnaby will have to fill out an out-of-district application. Registration applications are currently being accepted.