Students on Hornby Island are expected to move into a temporary school on Feb. 19, six months after their school was badly damaged in an arson fire.
The 50 students of the Hornby Island Community School, which burned on Aug. 26, have been split between the education society building and the community hall.
The Comox Valley school district has been working to get the students back in a single location, said Ian Heselgrave, the district’s director of operations.
He said the loss of the school was a big blow to the community and students. “We had to find a temporary solution that was going to give those students a sense of community. We didn’t want to just throw down a bunch of beat-up portables from a construction site.”
The district decided modular buildings would be the best fit, Heselgrave said, but many Island companies that make them are backlogged due to the demand for affordable modular housing units funded by the B.C. government.
The district contracted with Westcoast Outbuildings of Squamish.
“It’s like a Lego set. They build these in pieces and then they ship it,” Heselgrave said.
Getting the modular buildings to Hornby Island was a challenge, as they were too large for the ferry that serves the island. Instead, a large barge was used.
A crane was brought in to manoeuvre the nine modular buildings.
The three classrooms, library and administration building will be clustered around a deck to create a courtyard feel, he said. The temporary buildings will cost $1.5 million, paid for by the Ministry of Education.
Heselgrave said it’s unclear how long the temporary school will be used, pending the construction of a new, permanent education building.
A Comox Valley man has been charged with arson damaging property in connection with the fire. A publication ban prevents the man from being named.
