NANAIMO — Work will begin this summer on the $22.6-million seismic-upgrade project at Wellington Secondary School in Nanaimo.
Trustees in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district are expected to award the contract for the long-anticipated work next week for the extensive renovations at the school, which is expected to take up to two years to complete. The district was considering moving Wellington’s students to other schools for some periods during the work, but has since decided to move them around the school when required and portables may have to be temporarily brought in.
School board chairman Jamie Brennan said the district wants the work begun as soon as possible.
“Wellington Secondary School has been considered a high-risk school [in regards to its seismic safety] for some time so we’re not prepared to wait to get this work underway,” he said.
Education Minister Don McRae announced the funding for the school during a visit to Nanaimo in February.
In a facilities audit conducted by the Ministry of Education in 2004, Wellington school rated high on the need for seismic upgrades because it’s constructed mainly from heavy concrete and more susceptible to earthquake damage than schools built primarily with wood.
In a seismic review of the province’s schools conducted three years ago, Wellington was the only school in the district considered to be at “high-risk” to earthquakes according to a new priority list.
While the province will pay for the majority of the project, the district will contribute $3 million from its capital reserves.
