New Site for St. Bernard School
A new site has been selected for the new junior and senior high school in St. Bernard, near Weymouth.
The new Grade 7-to-12 school will be located across the street from the original site and construction will begin immediately.
Concerns about adequate water supplies and drainage at the first site were discovered during the design phase late in the fall. As a result, design and construction were stopped. The Department of Education has now completed an assessment of and purchased property across the street from the original site.
"The challenges with the first site only came to light when we started to build the school," said Education Minister Jane Purves. "When we realized they were insurmountable, we moved quickly to find another site and were pleased to be able to purchase one very near the original site that will meet construction requirements and the community’s needs."
"The board is extremely pleased to have this matter finally resolved and looks forward to seeing the equipment move onto the site as soon as possible," said Nancy Whittaker, chair of the Tri-County Regional School Board. "We can now focus on finding accommodations for our students currently at Clare District High School."
Ms. Purves said the design and construction process will be moved along as quickly as possible. The school is now expected to open in early 2002.
The new school will house English students now sharing École Secondaire de Clare, along with Grade 7-12 students in Weymouth Consolidated School. Plans are being developed with the Tri- County School Board and the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP) to move the English students from Clare to other local schools starting in September, until the new school is finished.
The new school and renovations to the École Secondaire de Clare reflect the provincial government’s policy to have French-only instruction available as soon as possible in homogenous facilities across the province. Of the 20 schools in the CSAP system, École Secondaire de Clare is one of only three facilities shared with English students.