J. J. O’Neill Catholic School receives over $9M as Rapid Build Pilot Project site
The Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB) has announced that the province of Ontario, in partnership with Infrastructure Ontario (IO), has selected J.J. O’Neill Catholic School as a Rapid Build Pilot Project site.
The province announced on Thursday, Apr. 21, 2022, that they have committed to providing $14 billion over 10 years to build and improve schools, by supporting them with construction, repair, and renewal and create new licensed child care spaces across the province, according to a release from ALCDSB.
The school board said that the Rapid Build pilot project, part of Ontario’s 2022-2023 Capital Priorities Program, aims to drive forward innovative solutions for accelerated school construction, to procure and deliver projects in shorter periods of time so that students can take advantage of new an updated school sooner.
The provincial government had announced its commitment to an investment of $9.9 million for the construction of an addition to J.J. O’Neill Catholic School in a release sent out by MPP Daryl Kramp’s office earlier this year.
According to the release, improvements to be made to the school site at 240 Marilyn Avenue in Napanee will include updates for 331 elementary student spaces, consisting of 14 classrooms which will replace the relocatable classroom module spaces and portable classrooms currently on the school site. A new three-room child care facility will accommodate 49 new licensed child care spaces and will replace the existing kindergarten room and regular classrooms, in the ‘bricks and mortar’ portion of the school.
ALCDSB is currently working in partnership with the Ministry of Education (EDU) and Infrastructure Ontario (IO) to discuss the use modular construction methodologies and to establish the project launch date, schedule, and completion timeline, according to the release.
“ALCDSB and the Town of Greater Napanee are blessed to have been selected by the province of Ontario for this pilot project. The expansion to J.J. O’Neill Catholic School will bring much needed upgrades, modernization, and expansion to accommodate our growing Catholic school community,” said David DeSantis, Director of Education.
“We embrace this growth. This addition to the school is not only a physical expansion of our learning spaces but is a source of inspiration for all ALCDSB staff and students as our board continues to build faith-filled learning communities where each member is loved, inspired, and successful,” he continued.
The Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board serves approximately 12,000 students, employs over 1,400 full-time equivalent staff and covers a geographical area of more than 16,000 square kilometres, the board said. According to the release, ALCDSB builds faith-filled learning communities where each member is loved, inspired, and successful.