School District 43 still needs more money and more work to bring its schools up to the latest seismic standards, according to a recent report.
As many as 11 schools in the district have been identified as high risk, which means they could have widespread damage or sustain various degrees of structural failure in an earthquake, according to a background report on school land disposition. Another 11 schools have been assessed at medium risk while six are low risk. The remaining schools, approximately 50 buildings, are considered quake-proof and structurally sound.
The information about the district's seismic status was presented to the public at a board meeting last week prior to Saturday's 7.7 magnitude quake, which rocked B.C. coastal areas, and raised concerns about the province's quake readiness.
The report notes that 11 schools are in the high risk category which includes three levels of risk depending on the level of damage that might occur in a severe earthquake. However, the schools and their level of risk were not named in the report.
While several projects have been undertaken in recent years, including 14 retrofits and four replacements (two of which are still underway), the remaining work will require millions of dollars in funding and provincial approval.
The province has approved $10 million to upgrade Sir Frederick Banting school in Coquitlam and $25 million for École des Pionniers de Maillardville run by the Conseil Scolaire Francophone board in Port Coquitlam. But Banting is an older building and SD43 would like to see it rebuilt, but at this point there is not enough money to carry out that work within the seismic funding envelope.
Two other schools, both of them older buildings, have been identified as needing seismic repairs - Minnekhada middle in Port Coquitlam and Montgomery middle in Coquitlam - but funding has not been announced.
The question of how to raise more cash to replace aging buildings that need seismic repairs in older parts of the district or build new schools in developing areas is what's behind the proposal to sell off so-called surplus school land. Last week, trustees voted against selling off a chunk of Porter Street property after parents protested and, on Nov. 6, they will consider selling a portion of fields at Parkland elementary for eight lots on Como Lake Avenue in Coquitlam.
The theory is the province would be more likely to fund new projects or approve rebuilds of older schools if the district brought some money to the table. At the same time, the province has a formula for lot sizes for new schools which stipulates much smaller footprints for schools and school fields and then what's typical in many neighbourhoods.
For example, the province recommends a lot size of up to 6.7 acres for an elementary school with an enrollment of up to 500 students, which is substantially smaller than the 8.1 acres at the Porter Street site, where the land sale idea was shot down, and 9.3 acres at Parkland elementary, the other school where the district is considering selling a portion of land.
