Work at the new Two Hills Mennonite School is expected to resume in the coming weeks, after “considerable review” took place between the province, local Mennonite Education council, and St. Paul Education Regional Division.
The division had received approval for the construction of a new Two Hills Mennonite School in 2010, but the project hit a major snag when an old artesian water well was discovered during construction, earlier this year. The well caused concerns for parents about methane gas as well.
“The abandoned well that was inadvertently disturbed has been successfully capped,” according to a press release received from SPERD on Nov. 7. “The building design has also been modified to deal with the low levels of methane gas that were previously detected and will be entirely safe in this respect.”
News that the project can move forward as planned is “a large sigh of relief,” said SPERD chair Heather Starosielski, at last week’s regular board meeting on Nov. 12. The division is waiting on a construction schedule for the project, but it is anticipated work will resume at the site “as soon as possible.”
“The Government of Alberta has assured the board that based on its testing and consultant opinions, the site is in all respects safe and suitable for a school,” according to the SPERD press release.
Although some are happy to hear the project is set to move forward, there are still many parents who are expressing concern about the school’s location, due to safety issues and a lack of space, according to the chair of the Two Hills Mennonite Parent Council, Abe Elias.
“They says it’s going to be safe, but who knows,” said Elias, as he reiterated the same concerns as previously noted at the meeting this summer.
In August, a number of Two Hills Mennonite School parents attended a meeting to discuss the lack of progress of the project. Many of the people in attendance at the meeting felt the school should be moved to an entirely new site, because of the issues that had come up.
According to the SPERD press release, “This option was reviewed, but given the added costs and additional delays, there was no certainty that a larger school would in fact be built.”
Other concerns parents brought forward included the size of the school being built, since the new school’s population is increasing quickly.
“The board does not dispute that an ideal solution would have been a 700 student school on a new site,” said the release, adding, “Given the cost, existing space in Two Hills, and the growth pressures elsewhere in the province, relocation and starting from scratch was simply not a realistic outcome.”
Elias says there are a number of parents concerned about the size of the school being built, and although bringing in modular classrooms is a solution to the problem, it will take away from the school’s playground space on a site that some believe to be too small already.
A letter addressed to Starosielski from Greg Appelt, a project manager with Alberta Infrastructure, notes that because the contractor will have to re-mobilize, site activity may not be noticeable immediately.
“I know all parties concerned are anxious to get this school completed,” said the letter from Appelt. “I ask that SPERD keep the Two Hills Mennonite parent council informed to help alleviate some of their concerns. Communication is key to the success of this project,” he added.
In the release, Starosielski said the board is looking forward to seeing construction resumed in Two Hills, “and the opening of a great new school that will serve the community for many years to come.”
