Jasper鈥檚 joint education facility is on schedule to be finished before the 2013鈥�14 school year begins.
Construction crews have been working on the new building since last summer and, aside from a delay getting the final building permit in order, things have gone fairly smoothly.
The delay came after Parks Canada requested additional information to ensure fire codes were met. Once the fire department was satisfied, they granted the permit.
The project includes provisions to knock down the current Jasper Junior/Senior High School and restore the land it sits on to 鈥渁 standard similar to鈥� the former dog park land, where the new school is being built. So, essentially, Jasper will exchange one green space for another.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a land swap,鈥� said Niki Gilks, communications manager for the Grande Yellowhead Public School Division. Since the facility is in a national park, its environmental impact is being carefully considered, she said.
Plans are in place to eventually install solar panels and geothermal heating. As well, there will be a rooftop garden and a 鈥渓iving wall鈥� of plants. However, said Gilks, these features likely won鈥檛 be ready when the doors open next September. 鈥淭he infrastructure will be in place鈥� to make their completion as easy as possible, she said.
At this time, there is no money in the budget for things like solar panels and geothermal heating, but community members made it clear those things are important to them, so the contractors will ensure that if anyone decides to raise money for sustainable architecture, installation can easily take place.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all set up so that if somebody wants to do it they won鈥檛 have to knock down any walls,鈥� said Gilks.
鈥淕reen鈥� initiatives such as these could push the facility to a Gold LEED standard, above the silver rating the province requires. However, since LEED certification takes several years, it鈥檚 difficult to make any predictions.
The provincial government announced in May 2011 that Jasper would be one of 35 communities to receive a renovation or a new school.
The new $21.3-million facility will be shared by the Jasper Junior/Senior High School and 脡cole Desrochers, which has been using space in the back of the Jasper Legion for its classrooms.
Each school will have its own space in the building, but they will share a gym, library and several other communal rooms.
The partnership is a unique one, bringing two completely different school boards together under one roof. Gilks said it will be complicated, but explained that the two boards are already meeting regularly to ensure the building operates as smoothly as possible.
Discussions have already started about what kinds of furniture and electronics the building will boast. The boards are also hammering out a maintenance budget.
Trevor Nichols
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