W.G. Murdoch School in Crossfield will soon get a face lift.

At last week's (May 18) Rocky View School Board Meeting, trustees approved a renovation of the school's front area.

"It's gonna be just under a million dollar project, and we'd like to start as early as this July and have it wrapped up by the Christmas break," said Superintendant Greg Luterbach.

The modernization, which will cost $995,000, will see walls removed between the current lunch room and hallway as well as glass to the left of the main entrance. Windows on the south side of the school will be enlarged to allow more natural lighting, and the servery will be moved from one side of the space to the other. Viewing windows into the gym will be added, and more doors will allow the space to be used by the community while keeping the rest of the school secure.

Luterbach believes the modernization will greatly benefit Crossfield students.

"We think we're going to end up providing to them a flexible environment where kids can gather to work, collaborate, eat, chat."

Luterbach thinks that Crossfield will also benefit from the modernization, giving another space for community use. At the meeting, Trustee Norma Lang shared that there is excitement within the community for the project.

RVS has some of the funds for the project already budgeted in this year's Infrastructure, Maintenance and Renewal (IMR) fund. 

"The board had previously approved this project in a kind of conceptual state, and at that time we'd budgeted four hundred thousand."

The remainder of the money will come from the 2017-18 IMR.

The school board did approve the renovation at last Thursday's meeting, with only one trustee opposed.

 

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