Cedar Hill Middle School will be replaced by a seismically safer $46.5-million building, due for completion in January 2025.
The Ministry of Education made the announcement Monday, saying the school will be designed to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and be above a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold standard.
That will include more efficient heat pumps and improved ventilation in classrooms.
The province is putting $42.9 million into the project and the Greater Victoria School District is contributing $3.6 million. Construction is to start in fall 2022, with students continuing to use the current school while the work is underway.
Space will be provided for 575 students — there were about 500 students in the past school year — while a neighbourhood learning centre included in the project will provide space to such potential uses as child care and cultural activities.
Programs offered at the centre will be determined through community consultation.
The school was built in 1931 and has had a number of additions over the years, the latest in 1975. It is one of the district’s oldest schools, and served as the original Mount Douglas Secondary School before becoming Cedar Hill Junior Secondary School and then Cedar Hill Middle School.
It is a dual-track school with English and French-immersion programs.
John Schmuck, past-president of the Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association, graduated from the school in 1969 when it was still Mount Douglas Secondary School.
“I only went there one year, but it was feeling its age even back then.”
There were a number of portable classrooms there at the time, he said.
After Mount Doug was moved, a new gymnasium was added and a piece of farmland next door was purchased and turned into a playing field, Schmuck said.
“I have good memories of the school, so it will be kind of sad to see it go. But I don’t see that it has the merit of preserving such as Vic High.
“I think there’s a lot more character and history and so on for Vic High.”
Victoria High School is undergoing a $79.7-million seismic upgrade and expansion. Students and staff are at S.J. Willis Education Centre on Topaz Avenue until the project is completed in September 2023.
That project, which includes preservation of the school’s historic facade, had been scheduled to be done in September 2022, but the date was pushed back because of such issues as obtaining workers and supplies.
Schmuck said Cedar Hill Middle School has reached its “end of life” and it is important to replace it from a safety standpoint.
“Nothing lasts forever and you do have to get on with modern times.”
The Cedar Hill Parent Advisory Council applauded the project announcement,
“The Cedar Hill Middle School PAC is thrilled with the approval of a seismically safe replacement school and looks forward to students learning in it for years to come,” said PAC chairwoman Catherine Du Bois.
Greater Victoria School Board chairwoman Jordan Watters said trustees are looking forward to a vibrant new school that provides amenities for the entire community while accommodating a growing student population.
“We have a vision to invest in the possibility of a net-zero [emissions] building in our district, and view this as a critical step in meeting our climate-action goals and setting a higher standard for seismic projects in the district.”
Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside said schools are much more than buildings, and provide public resources.
“And by lowering the carbon footprint of this school and raising community engagement, we are creating learning spaces that encourage academic development as well as social and emotional well-being.”
