A new Belmont secondary school will rise from the ashes of Glen Lake elementary school as shovels hit the ground this morning.
Education minister Peter Fassbender was on site of the future $54 million school for the official launch of construction.
"I am going to be around in 2016 and I'll come to the official opening," said the minister. "We are investing in the future of this community."
The new Belmont secondary will accommodate up top 1,200 students from Grade 9 to 12.
"This is probably the biggest financial expenditure this community will ever see," said Langford Mayor Stew Young. "This is $50 million and is 10 times more important than any interchange."
Young attended Belmont secondary as did his father and two children. He also has a two-year-old who Young hopes will attend the new Belmont and carry on the family tradition.
Students will have access to the facilities at City Centre Park including the turf fields and arenas.
"They will have access to a $30 million recreation facility to use, so this is more like an $80 million facility," Young said. "No other school has that infrastructure attached to it."
"This is something we can all be proud of and we've been working towards this for a long time," said Wendy Hobbs, Sooke School District board chair.
Another secondary school is planned for the Colwood community at Royal Bay. Royal Bay secondary school is budgeted to cost about $40.8 million and accommodate up to 800 students from Grade 9 to 12.