The start of a $73.3-million project at the historic Victoria High School could happen in September 2020.
The goal is to complete the job, which will increase capacity and includes a seismic upgrade, in two years. Final consent for the project has not been received from the Ministry of Education.
“Hopefully, we’ll get approval relatively soon,” said Mark Walsh, secretary-treasurer for the Greater Victoria school district.
A scenario that would have seen construction at the Fernwood school start this September was considered optimistic, he said. “That’s what we were gunning for, but we just didn’t get there.”
There are several steps in the overall process, including a now-completed upgrade at the former Burnside Elementary. The upgrade has allowed programs housed at the S.J. Willis Education Centre to be moved there.
And now that S.J. Willis is free for other use, Walsh said, the plan is to upgrade it, as well, and use it as a “swing school” where students can be relocated while their own schools undergo seismic refurbishing. Vic High would be first in line.
Walsh has called the project, which will preserve Vic High’s facade, “one of the most complex seismic upgrades in the history of our province.” The age of the building, which opened in 1914, is part of the reason the work will be complicated.
Keith McCallion, a member of the Victoria High School Alumni Association and a former Vic High principal, said the possible 2020 start date sits well with him.
“I’m pleased because I think it’ll just give more time for really thorough planning and preparation,” he said. “It’ll give them time to get a lot more input from parents and students and the community and, hopefully, the alumni.”
Closely following the project is the advocacy group Grumpy Taxpayer$ of Greater Victoria, whose members favoured a complete rebuild of Vic High.
Chairman Stan Bartlett said building a new structure would be a money-saver.
“In this case it is,” he said. “We kept our mind open on it right from the beginning, and our view is that a new build is the best way to go.”
The school board considered several options, including demolishing the existing school and building a new one at an estimated cost of $67 million.
Fear that the school might be torn down generated widespread community support for saving its heritage features.
The project includes a 1,000-student facility complete with a seismic upgrade and a neighbourhood learning centre, and includes retention of the school’s exterior and some interior heritage aspects. The current school has room for 800 students.
