Superintendent Scott Saywell helped announce a provincially-funded seismic upgrade to Cilaire elementary school, which will now also include a new air filtration system. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

BREATHE EASY

Air quality upgrades nearly wrap decade-long journey for Nanaimo-Ladysmith schools

May 1, 2021 | 6:45 AM

NANAIMO — Extensive upgrades at a Nanaimo school won’t be the only work done to better protect students.

A new, high-efficiency HVAC system will be included as part of seismic upgrades to Cilaire elementary school beginning in June 2021.

Mark Walsh, secretary/treasurer for Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools, told NanaimoNewsNOW an additional $1 million came from the province at the right time to tie the two major projects together.

“Where we have multiple projects at the same site where we’re doing them at the same time. Even though we’re got seismic money for Cilaire in one pot and ventilation money in another pot, we really pushed to make it a priority to get it over the finish line.”

The additional work will not affect existing timelines for seismic upgrades at the school, which will be done during the 2021/22 school year along with a similar project at Pleasant Valley elementary.

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Students from both schools will go to the seldom-used Woodlands Secondary and Rutherford Elementary sites.

The new HVAC system at Cilaire checks off another box for the district in its decade-long goal of improving air quality in all its facilities.

Ladysmith Intermediate school is now the last school on the list without either a new system or immediate plans for an upgrade.

Walsh said it will be at the top of future requests to the province.

“The building is quite old and frankly seismically it needs work as well. What we’re hoping to do is see something really great for that facility and maybe combine them all at the same time into a new facility or upgrades (at the current location).”

A vast majority of the money for HVAC upgrades has come from provincial coffers, however the district has ponied up some cash for supplemental units as well as increased electrical costs over the last 12 months.

“Increasing air flow into schools has cost electricity, buying air filtration systems has been expensive but we have received support from the federal and provincial governments so generally that didn’t impact us.”

Walsh said the district is fortunate to be in the position it’s in financially and is not forecast to be post a deficit in its next budget.

“We’re having more students and every time you have more students, you get more money. We’re in a pretty good financial position particularly compared to some of the districts having challenges.”

In February 2021, an updated long range facilities plan forecast enrollment in the district to grow substantially over the next ten years, leaving schools approximately 25 per cent over capacity by 2030.

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alex.rawnsley@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley