Sooke school district is hosting a New Schools Update on Tuesday, Jan. 29, where it plans to reveal some significant steps towards the West Shore’s two new high schools.
The public meeting, being held at the Isabelle Reader Theatre (1026 Goldstream Ave.) at 7 p.m., will be the last for some time, said SD62 superintendent Jim Cambridge, as the project moves into the proposal phase from specific companies.
“We’re pretty excited about the night actually,” Cambridge said. “This board of education really wants the public to know what it’s doing. It’s a hugely transparent board, so they’re wanting to make sure people know where we are at every stage along the way. This is an important milestone.”
The six potential companies to design the new school in the Glen Lake area is whittled down to three proponents to be announced at the Tuesday meeting.
The short list of designers for Royal Bay secondary school will follow a couple of weeks later.
The district will also reveal the education plan for the two schools. Cambridge said he also hopes to announce the principal for Royal Bay secondary.
The community will be taken through the timeline for construction, along with details on programming at the two schools. There will also be an opportunity for questions and comments.
The goal is to have construction finished by Sept. 2015, with both schools opening at the same time.
A conversation over what will happen with the lot Belmont secondary school currently sits on will also be happening at the meeting.
“It’s really energizing,” Cambridge said of the process. “You know you’re building the future for 50 years for two or three generations of students and it’s pretty exciting that way.”
The meeting is planned to go no later than 9 p.m.