By Jenn Watt

Published Feb. 28 2017

All schools in Haliburton County will be receiving upgrades of some sort over the next year.
At its committee of the whole meeting on Feb. 14 the Trillium Lakelands District School Board was presented with a $20 million list of improvements planned for buildings across the region.

Funding for the repairs and improvements come from the school renewal grant provided by the province.
“Typically the board does receive grants for school capital improvement each year” Catherine Shedden communications manager for the board told the paper via email. “In 2014-2015 we received approximately $5.9 million in 2015-2016 the board received approximately $7.3 million and this year it is significantly more at approximately $18.4 million. This is more than double the amount received in previous years.”
The remaining amount will be drawn from TLDSB reserves.

Local schools will be receiving quite a bit of that funding: $510000 worth of work at J.D. Hodgson Elementary School; $305000 at Archie Stouffer Elementary School; $235000 at Cardiff; $45000 at Stuart Baker Elementary School; $70000 at Wilberforce; and $645000 at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School.
Items up for repair or replacement include HVAC systems fire alarm systems improving accessibility in washrooms improving lighting systems and replacing flooring.
Facility services meets with each school’s principal annually to come up with the list of projects Shedden explained. According to the facility condition index the board completed last year $125 million worth of work is needed over the next five years.
“In the normal life cycle of capital infrastructure there will always be work done as equipment and facilities come to the end of their life cycle (eg. roofs heating equipment)” Shedden said.
Work on local schools will be done outside of school hours – over March Break during the summer and some evenings.