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Replacing H.W. Pickup Jr. High School

Alberta government announces funding for another replacement school in Drayton Valley

Feb 18, 2021 | 10:47 AM

Drayton Valley will see another new replacement school be built in town, thanks to the Alberta government.

On February 17, Minister of Education, Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Infrastructure, Prasad Panda, MLA for Drayton Valley-Devon, Mark Smith, and representatives from Wild Rose School Division were in Drayton Valley to announce $36.4 million in provincial funding for a new school to replace H.W. Pickup Jr. High School.

The funding is part of the province’s “Getting Alberta Back to Work” initiative and the presentation was held in the newly constructed Evergreen Elementary School.

“Without question, this is truly an exciting day for Drayton Valley and for Wild Rose School Division,” said Minister LaGrange. “We are so excited for this wonderful community because schools are one of the most important investments we can make in our children’s futures and in the future of our province.”

Though the current H.W. Pickup school is only 11 years old, operating since 2010, the facility has been dealing with structural issues from ground instability for years. This has caused problems such as cracks in the floors, moving walls, and uneven ground, according to the Wild Rose School Division.

The Division has spent thousands on repairs, and an evaluation of the building eventually found it would be more cost-effective to build a new school on a new site.

According to Minister LaGrange, the new school will be a state-of-the-art facility that can accommodate up to 680 students. It will also replace Eldorado Elementary School. Both Eldorado and H.W Pickup were on WRSD’s capital list for replacement in the coming years.

“We were both excited and surprised by this news,” says Drayton Valley Mayor, Michael Doerksen. “With Evergreen Elementary School wrapping up construction in 2020 and welcoming its first group of students this past fall, it was a welcome surprise to learn that Wild Rose’s application to fund another replacement school had been approved by the Province.”

WRSD is hopeful the new building will also be able to accommodate Drayton Valley Christian School, which is aging and dealing with its own structural issues.

The new school will be built on the same property as Frank Maddock High School. WRSD owns the site and the Town of Drayton Valley says the property is already appropriately zoned to allow for the construction of another school.

Construction is set to begin this spring or summer.