Staff will soon be moving into the new Quesnel Junior School, which will be welcoming students in September.
Quesnel School District secretary-treasurer Jennifer Woollends received a construction site tour on May 13 with transportation manager Trevor Howe.
“It’s exciting,” Woollends told the Board of Education during a regular board meeting Wednesday, May 18. “You’re amazed at the changes happening within that school.”
By the time Woollends wrote her memorandum detailing updates and progress of ongoing work, she said that information had since changed.
“It still looks like a construction site, and it seems like it’s far off, but it’s not,” Woollends added. “We’ll be moving staff into the building at the end of June and their belongings, and students will be in there for September, so it is going to be a push, but we’re looking forward to that.”
Construction of the new 550 capacity, two-storey facility by JEN COL Construction remains on budget.
Read More: School District previews new Quesnel Junior School
Tim Nault moved back to Quesnel to work with the company last June on the $52.2-million project.
“It works out great because I went to that school, so to be part of demoing the old school and building the new school and knowing my kids soon enough will be able to go to this school it’s exciting,” he said, noting he hopes to continue to work with JEN COL once the project is completed.
The Quesnel Junior School (QJS) moved to its temporary location at the old Maple Drive Junior School in August 2018 after the province provided $1.7 million to renovate the then closed school as a short-term solution.
The old QJS buildings in north Quesnel were torn down in 2020 after structural issues were found three years earlier.
“I was born and raised here and went to that school,” said project manager Scott Thomson.
“It’s neat, especially being involved from the very get-go from the conception, all the way in demoing the old site downtown and demoing this site.”
The current Maple Drive site will be demolished once the new QJS located next door opens to students.
Read More: VIDEO: Moving a school: Quesnel Junior School on Maple Drive
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: rebecca.dyok@quesnelobserver.com
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