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Sudbury Catholic set to spend $25 million on construction

“It feels really good,” he said. “We've been working on this for many, many years.” The board expects to tender all four projects within the next few months, with construction due to start this summer.
190314_St_David_drawing
Yallowega Bélanger Architecture provided this architect's rendering of the new St. David Catholic Elementary School. Supplied photo.

“It feels really good,” he said. “We've been working on this for many, many years.” 


The board expects to tender all four projects within the next few months, with construction due to start this summer. The work on the two new elementary schools and St. Charles is expected to be completed Sept. 1, 2015, in time for the new school year, while the St. James project will be completed in September 2014.

The funds for both new elementary schools came from special capital grants from the province.

The board is paying for the Grade 7 and 8 wing at St. Charles and the kindergarten wing at St. James through funds raised by selling defunct schools and regular school maintenance funds, respectively.

This latest flurry of construction comes on the heels of the September 2012 opening of the new junior kindergarten to Grade 6 Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School on the campus of St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School.

A Grade 7 and 8 wing was also recently constructed at St. Benedict, allowing students to complete their entire education on the same campus.

Sudbury Catholic has the same idea in mind for the St. Charles campus, where students will attend the newly built elementary school, and then transfer to St. Charles when they reach Grade 7.

The new 54,777-square-foot elementary school — temporarily dubbed the East Catholic Elementary School — will feature a large gym and a daycare space, and will be able to accommodate 550 pupils.

St. Raphael, St. Bernadette and St. Andrew Catholic Elementary Schools are due to close in June 2015 and be consolidated at the new school in September of that year.

Students and parents will have a chance to give the new school an official name over the next year, Cameron said.

The new Grade 7 and 8 wing at St. Charles — which will include renovations to the first floor of the school to provide eight classrooms — is just the latest construction project approved for the school.

Sudbury Catholic is currently in the midst of a $3.8-million renovation at St. Charles to build a new administration area and cafeteria.

The completion date was supposed to be this May, but cold winter weather means construction will actually be done in July.

The new, 22,097-square-foot St. David Catholic Elementary School, located in a treed area on Frood Road not far from the old school, will accommodate 200 pupils from junior kindergarten to Grade 6.

In a more “homey” architectural style, it will feature a sloped roof, and a walkway over the stream running through the property.

The current St. David accommodates pupils up to Grade 8, but when the new school is completed, Grade 7 and 8 students in the area will have a choice of attending St. Benedict, St. Charles or Marymount Academy.


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Heidi Ulrichsen

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