Capital Projects

School District No. 59 is creating 74 child care spaces to provide support for families with young children. The District applied for capital funding through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund in 2022 and secured support for the construction of child care spaces at school sites in two municipalities: Dawson Creek and Tumbler Ridge. The new centres will be located at Tumbler Ridge Elementary School and Tremblay Elementary School.

With $7.95 million in funding through the federally and provincially supported ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund, the design of the child care facilities has begun. The concept includes 12 spaces each in Dawson Creek and Tumbler Ridge for children under 36 months as well as 25 spaces in each of the two communities for children aged 36 months to school age. Child care centres will have an office space, full kitchen, washrooms, outdoor learning space and include a wheelchair lift for accessibility. The additional child care spaces are expected to be completed in April 2026.

On October 25, 2023 the Board gave three readings to an amended 2023-2024 capital plan bylaw 2023/24-CPSD59-03 including the amendments for a Crescent Park - 5 modular classroom addition.

Crescent Park Elementary is a 63-year-old school with 2 additions constructed in 1966 and 1967 respectively. The operating capacity of the originally constructed school is 175 seats. There are three ancillary buildings on site: one Annex housing the library (3 washrooms/stalls) and two stand-alone modular classrooms (no washrooms) which increase the capacity of the school by 75 seats to 250. With 2023-2024 enrolment of 265, the school is at 106% capacity with the ancillary buildings and 151% capacity of the original ‘as built’ construction of the school.

The expansion project includes a cluster of five Ministry of Education funded classroom modulars and one washroom modular connected to the existing building at the north end, along with an additional two Board funded modulars. The seven modulars will accommodate five classrooms, relocated administration offices for a more central location in the building, and new library space relocated to the school from the annex. Upgraded sprinkler and fire alarm systems are included in the expansion project scope.

The project adds capacity to the school well in the future and improves accessibility to the school entrance and the library. Relocated offices to a central location allows for streamlined workflow given the bigger footprint, improved safety, and a more welcoming location for students with all abilities. Moving the library into the school improves access and learning opportunities for students while freeing up the annex for possible future child care provision on site. The project also promotes flexible space within the school, giving staff and students spaces for privacy as well as small group projects and grouping and ungrouping students for learning. With the Board’s addition investment of $1.7m from reserve, the project best leverages the Ministry of Education and Child Care and Board funding to provide the most learning and administrative improvements possible while maintaining fiscal sustainability into the future.

Estimated cost: $9.2m
Schedule: September 2025