Many schools in Prairie South School Division need upgrades because of their age, so the division plans to spend over $8 million during the next three years to enhance those venues.
During their recent May board meeting, trustees approved the 2023-25 Preventative Maintenance and Renewal (PMR) plan. The plan lays out all the projects the division intends to pursue in those years and their costs.
The division expects to spend $2,850,000 on 17 projects in 2023-24; $3,195,000 on 12 projects in 2024-25; and $2,144,500 on five projects in 2025-26, for a total of $8,189,500.
Local projects
In Moose Jaw, the following projects are scheduled for 2023-24:
- Sunningdale School: accessibility upgrades for $15,000
- Palliser Heights School: roof replacement for $200,000
- Caronport Elementary: flooring upgrades for $180,000
- Riverview Collegiate: asphalt upgrades for $65,000 and change-room upgrades for $100,000
- Central School: flooring upgrades for $150,000
In 2024-25, the scheduled projects include:
- Palliser Heights School: staff parking lot upgrades for $150,000
- King George School: fencing replacement for $20,000
- A.E. Peacock: vent replacements for $350,000
In 2025-26, crawl space remediation for $1 million will occur at Lindale School.
Board discussion
The buildings department derives all its projects from a five-year working report and attempts to schedule roughly $2.6 million in projects each year while aligning the report with expectations from the Ministry of Education, explained manager Darren Baiton. This year the ministry provided the division with $218,464 in extra PMR funding.
Trustee Robert Bachmann commended Baiton and his staff for keeping schools in good condition and having a long-range plan that ensures Prairie South can continue to offer world-class venues.
Bachmann — who sits on the business, infrastructure and governance board committee — pointed out that Baiton has a priority system for deciding which schools need upgrades, such as concerns with safety, urgency, or submitted requests. This detailed process helps the department decide what projects make the list.
Besides school requests, Baiton also has a wish list of projects he wants to accomplish in the next five to 10 years, added Bachmann.
The number of projects on the PMR list is comprehensive, while the list allows trustees to see what work will occur in the next few years to ensure schools are well maintained, said trustee Crystal Froese.
“It’s really impressive what our staff has put together and stay on top of,” she added.
The next PSSD board meeting is Tuesday, June 7.
