SD73 awards contract for new Parkcrest Elementary school, construction to begin this spring

KAMLOOPS — School District 73 (SD73) has its contractor for the new Parkcrest Elementary School.

In a news release Thursday (March 31) morning, SD73 announced Dawson Wallace Construction Ltd. was awarded the contract to rebuild Parkcrest Elementary after the previous building was lost due to a fire in September 2019. The rebuilding of Parkcrest was announced in January 2021.

“We are looking forward to a much-awaited ground-breaking for the Parkcrest project, which is to begin this spring with Dawson Wallace,” Heather Grieve, SD73 board of education chair. “Our experience with Dawson Wallace on the Valleyview Expansion project has been very positive.”

Construction of Parkcrest Elementary is set to begin in spring 2022, with the school expected to open by spring 2024.

The B.C. government is spending $34.84 million to rebuild the former 390-seat kindergarten to Grade 6 school and expand its capacity to 510 students in anticipation of the growth in Brocklehurst. The Ministry of Education has also provided funding for a neighbourhood learning centre, and to reduce the school’s greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs.

SD73 also says its spending $300,000 towards the expansion, while the City of Kamloops has committed up to $2.5 million for the additional space required for a larger gymnasium for community sporting events.