NLSD: No Name Change for Cold Lake Elementary School

Cold Lake Elementary School is going through a major upgrade with construction on the new facility running on schedule, reports Northern Lights School Division (NLSD). The division assures that while the entire school is getting a face lift, one thing that will remain the same is the name. In fact, the signs for the new gym are going up any day now, reports NLSD Communications Officer, Nicole Garner.

“One of the goals is to have the gym done [soon],” Garner says the new gym will be used as a quasi storage facility to keep items that are not in use but need to go to the new school. “We need to have that done first, so we can move things and store them.” Eventually, all the items that will make the transfer into the new facility will be moved into the gym while construction is finishing up. “The plan is to demolish the existing school and that’s going to be the parking lot for the new school.” Before everything can be moved in, NLSD wants their big logo on the middle of the gym floor. Thus, they cannot be making name changes this late in the process.

The plan is to have everything moved over for the end of the school year. Garner explains they’ll be working on a tight deadline, “we’ve got a tight window; school finishes, we have to empty out the school as quickly as possible and then there’s some hazmat stuff that needs to be done.” Nothing to alarm the public, like many buildings built in that era, there is asbestos. Asbestos does not cause harm if removed correctly. “It can’t just be torn down, they have to remove all the hazardous materials, and then demolish it. Do all the grading, paving and landscaping.” The crew has a two-month summer window, “the more organized we are, the better.”

Garner says so far everything is running on schedule and should remain that way, weather permitting, “the big thing now is the weather cooperating.” The school is expected to be completed, with the doors opening to students for the start of the 2016-17 school year, in the fall.