​Bluewater school board, municipality insist new KDSS is top priority

The Bluewater District School Board and the Municipality of Kincardine both insist that building a new Kincardine District Senior School (KDSS) is their top priority, and despite the many delays and challenges, they are working together to make it happen.

Local trustee Jan Johnstone says the board continues to progress on land acquisition efforts and is analyzing all opportunities to ensure an efficient build in a desirable site for the residents of Kincardine and surrounding areas.

“Challenges are plentiful in school construction, some of which are unique to this circumstance,” she says. “Viable serviced land is limited in the Kincardine area and we are working closely with the municipality, Bruce County, the Ontario Ministry of Education and our project consultants, to ensure the desired site is feasible and all associated costs to access the site are eligible for ministry funding.

“To assist with getting shovels in the ground faster, the consultation on the school design is well under way, with hopes of sharing with the community in the near future.”

Johnstone says there is no greater priority for the board’s business team than to complete KDSS.

“Since we had a new appointment to the position of superintendent of business in January, 2024, he also has experienced the frustration that many community members feel with road blocks, challenges, and delays, and we completely understand the concerns expressed in the length of time it is taking for the announcement,” she says.

Back in October, 2020, Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson announced provincial funding of $26.4-million for a new senior school in Kincardine which would accommodate 880 students.

Johnstone says there will be regular updates on the board’s capital priorities site as it continues to move this project forward as a top priority.

Meanwhile, Kincardine mayor Kenneth Craig says the municipality was pleased with the ministry announcement four years ago.

“Over my term on council, we have reached out to the school board several times to see what we can do to help, and we are not the only ones in the community that have put forward offers of assistance to help the board move this project forward,” he says.

“I know the Kincardine team has provided information about various properties within the municipality that meet the school board’s criteria. Kincardine has also provided details about municipal servicing to the board’s project manager and consultants to help them with the project development, as well as land-use planning considerations for various sites. We can advise on many of the infrastructure details but we do not provide any direction as to site selection.”

He says that council representatives spoke with the education minister in early 2024 about KDSS, to determine if there were other ways the municipality could help move the board’s project forward.

“We understand that school boards are being encouraged to standardize the design of new school construction and bring forward shovel-ready proposals,” he says. “Ultimately, the location of a new school site is solely up to the school board, and the municipality is ready to review any submissions that the board may make to help with the development of a new senior school.”