High School Site Selection
Some of you may be wondering about the process that is involved with determining the location for a much-needed high school in Beaumont. The one high school we have right now – ESBCHS (Ecole Secondaire Beaumont Composite High School) was built many years ago, around 1987, when our population was much much smaller. Our city has grown rapidly since then and there are now three school boards in Beaumont providing quality education from K – 12. Both the STAR Catholic and Black Gold School Boards need high school spaces for their students in Beaumont as soon as possible.
The challenge in selecting a new high school site in Beaumont is determining where a suitable parcel of land can be developed safely, appropriately, quickly and at an affordable cost.
The City has some public land available that has been designated by the municipality as MR (Municipal Reserve). Under the MGA (Municipal Government Act) the municipalities are permitted to designate up to 10% of a parcel of land as municipal reserve, school reserve, conservation reserve or public utility lot. (MGA S.665(1)) The City also needs to use this land for recreation, parks, trails, environmental reserve, public utilities, etc. All of these land uses contribute to making our community a great place to live.
It is challenging, to say the least, to plan ahead for all the needs of a community including future schools. Our planners and elected officials have done their very best to gaze into a crystal ball to plan for the location of future parks, schools and other municipal uses.
In the coming months, Council will determine which lands will be available and suitable for a new high school to be developed in Beaumont. The timeline and funding for servicing (roads, sewers, water, etc) to the school site is handled by the municipality, landowners, and developers. The servicing on the site, the design, development and building of the actual schools are in the hands of the Provincial government and the School Boards. City Council will choose the best site option and communicate that to the Province and the School Boards based on their needs and requirements.
So, without going into all the myriad details that planners, administrators and elected officials have to learn and know about before a decision can be made, I want residents to know that as a Councillor I am 100% supportive of finding a joint high school site, so that our children can graduate from Grade 12 in Beaumont. I am sure this project will be successful and it will meet the criteria for quality, accessibility and affordability. That’s good news!
