The completion of two school projects in Waterdown by next fall moved a step closer to reality recently with a recent decision by the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) to provide $31.4 million from its capital budget to build schools in high growth areas of the city. The investment is in addition to a $45.6-million dollar grant from the Ministry of Education to help fund a new elementary school in Waterdown, an addition to the Waterdown District High School (WDHS) and new elementary schools in Binbrook and Winona.

“We’re very excited to be moving forward with these plans,” Flamborough trustee Karen Turkstra said last week, noting that a substantial funding commitment was required by the board because land acquisitions were needed for the WDHS expansion and the schools in Winona and Binbrook.

“The ministry does not fund land purchases,” she explained.

The new Guy Brown School on Braeheid Avenue is the only one of the four projects that doesn’t require a property purchase. The new school will be built adjacent to the present facility at a cost of about $8 million. The three new schools, which will include fitness rooms, science labs, art rooms, double gyms and lots of natural light, will each be able to accommodate 650 students. Because the ministry funds only up to 575 seats in new elementary schools, the school board is obliged to pay for the remaining seats, Turkstra said.

Also factored in to the board’s need to invest are construction benchmarks. Once again, the ministry will only provide a certain amount of funding per square foot and, if local costs are more, the board must make up the shortfall. Whether that will be the case locally won’t be known until tenders come in.

Site plans have been submitted for approval for both the Waterdown and Winona projects while it’s expected plans for the Winona school will be submitted in the spring.

The tender process for all projects will begin in April and run through September.

Designs for the new Guy Brown School and the WDHS addition will be presented to the public Wednesday, March 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the high school auditorium. The first hour will be devoted to the elementary school and the remaining time, to the high school plans. School board officials will be on hand to field questions from residents.

The 763-seat addition to WDHS will potentially include 30 classrooms, a new gym, shop rooms, and a multi-purpose space that can be used for theatre arts and gym facilities. While meeting the September 2011 deadline will be a challenge, Turkstra said the high school project will be well under way by next fall and the new Guy Brown School should be at or near completion.

The projects aren’t expected to cause a great deal of disruption for Waterdown students, although high school students will continue to attend classes in the building while construction is under way.

As for the Guy Brown project, the current school will remain open while its replacement is being built, keeping disruption to a minimum.

Turkstra expressed pleasure and excitement that the projects are moving ahead. “It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the shovel in the ground.”