A new gym floor at St. Margaret School and a new fire alarm system at Sacred Heart School are some projects Moose Jaw’s Catholic school division hopes to complete in the next four years.
The projects are part of Holy Trinity Catholic School Division’s three-year preventative maintenance and renewal (PMR) plan, which lays out the capital priorities the division wants to complete at its schools.
Division administration has budgeted $1.15 million in projects during the 2022-23 school year, $1.23 million during the 2023-24 school year and $901,765 during the 2024-25 school year, for a total of $3.28 million.
The Ministry of Education requires school divisions to submit a three-year PMR plan by June 30 annually, chief financial officer Curt Van Parys explained during the May board meeting. Holy Trinity has received $3.96 million in PMR funding since the program began during the 2012-13 fiscal year.
“Just pleased to see St. Mary’s gym floor on (the PMR list),” trustee Derek Hassen said. “It was on the list years ago and, due to some tough budgets, was pushed down the list. I would just like to express my support for that project and advocate to see that go forward in the next year so they can get a proper gym floor.”
The division normally asks each year for $1.1 million to $1.2 million in capital funding to upgrade school buildings, said Van Parys. However, during this upcoming fiscal year of 2021-22, the ministry approved $545,000 in PMR funding.
Even though the ministry does not provide the full funding as requested, it’s important for the division to always ask for more than what grant funding is projected to be, he continued. The ministry had planned to increase PMR funding to school divisions by 15 per cent a year, but that won’t help Holy Trinity reach its $1.1 million request.
“… But, it will go a long way to addressing the capital needs we do have,” he added. “Our needs far exceed what we are projected to receive through PMR.”
Trustee Ted Wallin was concerned that the division would not receive the full $1.15 million for the 2022-23 school year. He wondered how division administration would determine which projects to undertake.
Projects that aren’t completed in one year are shifted to the next year, replied Van Parys. Administration works with the buildings department to prioritize projects and figure out which ones to do first while ensuring the full PMR funding is spent.
Administration conducts an annual review of the projects on that list since it is a “living document,” he added. A project that is in 23rd position could move up the list based on its importance.
Projects 2022-23
Some projects Holy Trinity has planned for 2022-23 are:
- $385,762 at St. Margaret School: new gym floor, exterior upgrades, replace windows, upgrade HVAC hardware, replace library carpet
- $332,077 at Vanier Collegiate: renovate library, upgrade elevator controls, replace library carpet, replace floor in Sion Hall
- $186,253 at St. Agnes School: replace roof section, move admin office to library, upgrade play structures
- $10,769 at St. Mary School: replace carpet
- $31,519 at St. Michael School: update play structures
Projects 2023-24
Projects planned for 2023-24 are:
- $284,223 at St. Margaret: upgrade HVAC equipment, replace exterior wall and add insulation
- $404,224 at Vanier: new LED lighting, replacing HVAC systems, repairing and insulating brick wall, replacing roof sections, repaving staff parking lot
- $357,814 at St. Michael: repairing exterior walls, landscaping around school, replacing furnaces
- $33,114 at St. Agnes: new roof section
Projects 2024-25
Projects planned in 2024-25 include:
- $755,994 at Sacred Heart: installing new fire alarm system, replacing roof section, replacing windows, replacing boiler, upgrading an HVAC system
- $118,869 at St. Michael: upgrading a brick wall
The next Holy Trinity board meeting is Monday, June 21.
