Like it, buy it.
That was the decision of BC Christian Academy, which has decided to buy the former-Lincoln elementary school at 1019 Fernwood Ave. in Port Coquitlam after leasing the building for nearly 12 years.
And last week, School District 43 agreed to the sale that will pump $16.2 million into the public school district’s coffers.
“BC Christian wanted that site, they’ve been on that site for almost 12 years,” explained SD43 treasurer Chris Nicolls, who said the funding will be placed into a fund for capital spending.
The school was closed several years ago due to declining enrolment and has since been leased by the academy, which got its start in Burnaby in 1992.
Leasing the building allowed the private independent school to grow its kindergarten to Grade 12 programs, including its International Baccalaureate programs.
For SD43, whose trustees voted to approve the sale at its board meeting last week, the injection of capital comes as the province is increasingly demanding school boards put up some of the money for new school buildings.
“We felt it (the sale) was necessary so we could invest that (money) into school additions and support ministry requirements for seismic upgrades and replacement for new schools,” Nicolls said, noting that it had to put up $2 million for the seismic rebuild for Banting middle school in Coquitlam and $5 million towards Sheffield, a new elementary school for the Burke Mountain area.
According to SD43, the 9.4-acre property is “not required for future educational purposes.”
In a letter to the board, BCCAC noted it had been in a “healthy tenant/owner relationship with SD43 since 2009.”
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has put a damper on celebrations for the new Minnekhada middle school, which was to open for new students possibly after spring break.
But instead students are doing virtual school at home.
BC Christian Academy is also temporarily closed during COVID-19, with students doing their studies online.
