Dropping off students at William Grayson School could be difficult for the first month of school, as construction along Caribou Street West is not expected to finish until early October.
The City of Moose Jaw began working on that street in April and plans to replace 1,370 metres of water mains from Fourth Avenue Northwest to 10th Avenue Northwest. Contractors recently reached the Caribou Street West and Ninth Avenue Northwest intersection and are preparing to install the pipes.
While the downpour of rain on Aug. 23 pushed back the project by three or four days, contractors believe they can start paving the 600 block of Caribou Street to Monk Avenue by Aug. 27 and from Monk Avenue to Ninth Avenue Northwest by Sept. 13, communications manager Craig Hemingway explained.
Construction crews will skip over the intersection at Ninth Avenue Northwest and Caribou Street West and start working on underground infrastructure between Ninth and 10th avenues starting Aug. 30. Once that street is complete, crews will tie in that section to the rest of the work. This will include making further upgrades to the traffic lights by adding vehicle sensors.
City hall plans to provide another update about this work on Aug. 27, Hemingway added.
Robin Heshka, principal at William Grayson School, told the Express by email that city hall has spoken with division administration and school administrators about the project and kept both parties informed. She was grateful to have the support of division staff during this time.
“There is always something surprising us for the start of a school year. Water main breaks, COVID, you name it — we can handle it! It is things like these that keep us on our toes,” she said.
Since the street in front of the school is temporarily closed, staff at William Grayson have been working with the division’s transportation department to develop a safe pick-up and drop-off plan for staff and students, Heshka continued. For now, buses will pick up students on Eighth Avenue Northwest toward the south end of the playground.
There will also be limited pick-up on Eighth Avenue, although school administrators hope most drop-offs and pick-ups will occur near Hochelaga Street or Athabasca Street.
“We are hoping that families will park on Hoch and Atha and walk to the playground to get their children — that way, we can ease some congestion on Eighth Avenue,” she said. “Parents need to keep in mind that there isn’t through access up Eighth onto Caribou, so there will be nowhere for them to turn around on Eighth, so avoiding driving up Eighth would be the best bet.
“We will have extra staff out in that area to ensure safe crossings but would ask that all community members do their part to keep our kids safe.”
William Grayson administration will send out an email to all families via the school messenger system to inform them about this temporary transportation plan, Heshka added. The school will also continue to work with the municipality and the division to ensure completion of the road work is a top priority.
