After Fiona, P.E.I.’s Évangéline community ‘not interested’ in anything less than school replacement, says CSLF superintendent

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The intensive storm harm to École Évangeline has brought about members of the group to rethink whether or not deliberate renovations to the college ought to go forward, French-language faculty board superintendent Gilles Arsenault mentioned.

École Évangeline, initially inbuilt 1960, sustained the worst structural harm of any faculty within the province. About one-third of the college’s roof was misplaced as a result of storm.

Talking earlier than the standing committee on training and financial progress in Charlottetown on Oct. 25, Arsenault mentioned he believes the harm to the college ought to trigger the Division of Schooling to rethink its plans to renovate the growing old facility.

“We as a committee cannot alter that. However we will positively, as a faculty board and a community-based faculty, push for a pause within the challenge to judge all choices,” Arsenault instructed members of the committee.

“And we all know that the group members on this stage of the sport should not thinking about any main renovation however a brand new construct.”

In 2019, Premier Dennis King pledged to both exchange or renovate École Évangeline. The Progressive Conservative authorities opted for the latter, committing $16.6 million within the 2020 capital finances for the challenge. This was later bumped as much as $18.8 million in final fall’s capital finances.

However the storm harm to the prevailing faculty has brought about the college board to contemplate whether or not these renovations are worthwhile.

College students have been moved out of the college to the grounds of the Acadian Competition. Arsenault mentioned the anticipates the scholars will nonetheless obtain instruction in that location within the coming months.

Arsenault mentioned he hopes to see restore work on the areas of the college with intact roofs accomplished early within the new 12 months. College students will be capable to return to these sections for instruction at this level, together with some cell school rooms.

Inexperienced Opposition chief Peter Bevan-Baker mentioned he was stunned to listen to group members now favoured funding in a brand new faculty versus the deliberate renovations.

“In case you have been to vary course now and transfer to constructing a wholly new faculty there, clearly that is going to extend the size of time that the scholars are going to have to seek out some kind of various location,” Bevan-Baker mentioned.

Arsenault mentioned present plans to return college students to the undamaged sections of the prevailing École Évangeline wouldn’t change.

“The hope can be, in a perfect scenario, in a perfect world, can be that we might preserve our college students in that facility for 2 years whereas they’re constructing a brand new faculty within the again” of the identical property, Arsenault mentioned. “That may alleviate the actual fact of disrupting our college students twice.”

Arsenault mentioned he believes the development of a wholly new faculty may very well be performed in two years, roughly the identical timeframe as deliberate renovations. He mentioned a flooring plan has already been designed.

The King authorities is predicted to launch a capital finances later this fall. It’s unclear if it should contain main adjustments in beforehand introduced faculty renovation plans.

13 of 62 colleges sustained harm

Arsenault and Public Colleges Department director Norbert Carpenter each introduced an replace on harm to colleges throughout the Island earlier than the committee.

Of the six French-language colleges, Arsenault mentioned Évangeline fared the worst. École-Sur-Mer in Summerside sustained rooftop harm as properly. The opposite 4 “fared out wonderful,” he mentioned.

Carpenter detailed harm to 11 English-language colleges, together with Queen Charlotte Intermediate and West Royalty elementary in Charlottetown, Cardigan Consolidated, East Wiltshire in Cornwall, Englewood elementary in Crapaud and Three Oaks Excessive College in Summerside.

Queen Charlotte Intermediate sustained harm to 2 sections of its roof. These sections have been changed, Carpenter mentioned. Water harm was sustained within the faculty’s fitness center, music room and industrial arts school rooms.

Cardigan Consolidated incurred “substantial harm” to its roof, Carpenter mentioned. This resulted in college students being relocated to Montague Regional Excessive College. The repairs to the roof have been accomplished.

Roof repairs and harm to inner points at East Wiltshire are anticipated to be accomplished by mid-November.

Whereas harm has been intensive, Carpenter additionally identified that 45 English-language colleges sustained minor or no harm.

“Most of our colleges endured this enormous storm fairly properly. They’ve stood as much as the problem,” Carpenter mentioned.

Stu Neatby is a political reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. He will be reached by e-mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @stu_neatby.