Open spaces and a large gymnasium with plenty of room to play are the hallmark features in a kindergarten to Grade 9 school planned outside Okotoks’ north border. Parents and residents got an early glimpse of plans for the 7,000-square-metre school unveiled at an open house at Dr. Morris Gibson School on June 8.
“It really gives people a snapshot of what they can expect at the school,” said Drew Chipman, Foothills School Division assistant superintendent of corporate services.
He said construction is on track to start in the fall and the school is expected to open its doors to students in September 2019.
“Construction for schools of this size are taking around 20 months,” said Chipman.
Provincial approval of the Okotoks annexation plans has pushed final approval of a building permit for the school until next month, but the division can continue moving forward in the meantime.
The school went in front of the Okotoks Municipal Planning Commission (MPC) on June 15.
Okotoks development officer Colleen Thome said the Town had expected a building permit to be issued by the MD of Foothills.
After last week’s annexation announcement, the Town asked the MPC to approve the plan in principle and reconsider it after the annexation becomes official July 1.
Thome said this will allow the division to move forward with its plans and the school will go back to the MPC once more on July 20 for approval.
The Town purchased the 40-acre site on the west side of 32 Street in 2014 and signed an agreement with the Foothills School Division to locate a K-9 school on the land in October 2015. The provincial government approved construction of the school two months later.
The school area will take up just over five acres of the overall site and the remaining land will eventually become home to a community campus with possible cultural, recreation and education uses.
There is room for up to eight modular classrooms to be added to the school in the future.
“Once it’s out to capacity, it’ll be up to 900 students,” said Chipman.
He said the division made natural light and open spaces a priority, giving teachers and students flexible options for learning.
“There’s a lot of areas for break out, so teachers can have students working on projects in areas where they’re able to moderate and supervise,” said Chipman. “I think you’ll find this is a step toward project learning, which is where education seems to be focusing.”
The school will also boast a large, three-station gymnasium.
“That’s going to be exciting for the community, it’s going to be a big gym that the school and the community will benefit from,” said Chipman.
The plans were all good news for Kristi Nutter. Her children attend Dr. Morris Gibson, but could end up at the new school depending on how the attendance boundaries are drawn.
“It’s definitely good for the community, we need more space,” said Nutter.
She said she liked the open concept idea.
“They’ve got a really cool open concept with the doors in the classrooms that open up into communal spaces, lots and lots of space, which is good to see,” she said.
She said the larger gym space will help continue and expand the options already being offered at Okotoks public schools.
Nutter’s main concern is how the Town plans to handle the additional traffic the school will certainly bring to 32 Street.
“I know right now just with HTA (Holy Trinity Academy) up there it’s a nightmare, but it’s only a nightmare at morning bell and afternoon,” she said.
Nutter doesn’t think traffic signals are a solution. They might help during peak periods, but would be unnecessary for the rest of the day, she added.
James Cameron, Town of Okotoks project engineer, said the Town will look at modifications of lanes on 32 Street to keep traffic moving smoothly through the intersections.
He said there are no plans for traffic lights at this time.
“For just this development, there won’t be any signalization at that intersection,” said Cameron. “It’ll be stop controlled for left turns and there will be a merge lane for right turns out of there going south.”
In the long-term, he said 32 Street will be twinned and signals installed as additional development occurs on the land.
