LAC LA BICHE - Officials with Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS) are hoping to receive confirmation next year for a new building to replace Lac La Biche’s 51-year-old Vera M. Welsh Elementary School.
When construction of a new school will start, says Nicole Garner, a spokesperson with the division, will depend on when the project receives final approval from Alberta Education. She added that officials are hoping to get an announcement in the spring with the 2025 provincial budget.
“The final decision to proceed to construction and the timeline are up to Alberta Education, but there is no reason that we are aware of for it not to proceed to construction.”
In May of 2023, the provincial government made funding available for a design plan for a new school to replace Vera M. Welsh, which has been at the top of the school division’s priority list for replacement for two decades.
As mentioned in the school division’s 2022-2025 Capital Plan, there are many issues with half century-old building, including a small stream flowing through the basement crawlspace.
A site for the school was approved by members of Lac La Biche County council for development west of the Bold Centre on municipal property during a meeting which took place in September of 2023.
Schematic drawings have been completed and, according to Garner, the school division expects to have full drawings by April 30.
The new version of Vera M. Welsh Elementary School will share a parking lot with the Bold Centre. This, Garner says is a great opportunity for public organizations to collaborate for the benefit of the community and taxpayers. Currently, NLPS’s J.A. Williams (JAWS) High School shares parking at the Bold Centre. Therefore, Garner added, this wasn’t something new that had to be established.
“This shared parking frees up valuable land for playgrounds and fields for our school, which will be available for the public to use outside of school hours,” she said. “We appreciate the willingness of the County to find solutions with us.”
Once it is built and up and running, the new school building will have several features, including a secure front entrance, two sensory rooms, a food service area, as well as a modern learning commons which Garner said will have an overhead door that opens into the school’s gathering area.
The community’s newest school will also have a safer and more improved bus lane.
“The bus lane is designed so that buses do not have to back up and they pick up/drop off students at a different entrance from parents and staff,” she explained.
Plans are also continuing for a new Catholic school near the Bold Center. Land has been made available to the Lakeland Catholic School District for a new build to replace the existing Light of Christ Catholic School in Lac La Biche. The Bonnyville-based Lakeland Catholic school division opened its first school in Lac La Biche eight years ago.
