School District Five has released more information about the proposed elementary school that it plans to open in Fernie in the coming years.
The school will house 265 students from kindergarten to grade six and will be located at 30 Cokato Rd. on a piece of land purchased by the district in 2020 through agreement with Montane Developments.
The district is currently in the process of selecting a project manager and architect to complete designs and manage the construction process, and it has retained WSP Engineering to bring the building up to code with modern environmental standards. $33.5 million of funding has been allocated to the project by the Ministry of Education.
Construction will begin next summer, with opening slated for September 2027.
The district has also submitted a proposal for the addition of a childcare facility through the New Spaces Grant, and it plans to engage with the city regarding opportunities for community partnerships in light of the Fernie Community Centre closure.
The district stated in an e-mail that it will consult with the public and the local Indigenous community on a name for the building.
The project was initiated to help meet the needs of a growing population. Statistics from the Ministry of Education show that Isabella Dicken Elementary School has reached maximum capacity with a current projected enrolment of approximately 575 students, which stretches beyond the school's carrying capacity by 167 per cent. This includes the recent expansion that the school underwent last year with the addition of four classrooms.
The district initially considered the possibility of creating a middle school, but decided against it after seeing that Fernie Secondary School was only expected to reach 83 per cent capacity over the long term, with the general consensus being that a middle school would draw students away from the high school and lead to a further reduction in enrolment.
