By Ian Holmes

Province agrees to fund expansion to cramped north Nanaimo school

Apr 5, 2018 | 12:11 PM

NANAIMO — The province agreed to pay for expanding a chronically over-capacity north Nanaimo elementary school.

Supt. John Blain announced the Ministry of Education approved the local school district’s business case to increase the size of Hammond Bay School from nine to 15 classrooms.

Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools (NLPS) board chair Steve Rae told NanaimoNewsNOW a larger Hammond Bay is critical.

“This has been a long time coming and we are absolutely thrilled the current government, Minister (Rob) Fleming has agreed to move forward on this project. It’s long, long overdue.”

Rae said it’s too early to say what a construction timeline would look like. He said the district is in the process of nailing down more specific costs as well.

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“We have the paperwork that we need to submit to the Ministry and we are on it already and we’re going to get that in and move forward with this as quickly as we possibly can.”

NLPS reported to the province last fall 353 students were attending Hammond Bay this school year. Adding six classrooms would provide room for 375 students at a school that Rae said has been overflowing for many years.

Rae said Hammond Bay Elementary is home to one of three highly sought after French immersion programs in the local pubic school system.

He said an expanded gym for Hammond Bay, which is slated to cost the district $1.8 million, is scheduled to be completed during the next school year.

ian@NanaimoNewsNow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes