A new way of prioritizing the 22 Richmond schools that need seismic upgrading has been developed by Richmond School District staff.
The new plan is to prioritize seismic upgrades for schools with the lowest cost ratios (lowest cost per student) before those with higher cost ratios, according to a report to the Richmond Board of Education.
This new long-term plan is on the agenda for the board's public meeting on Wednesday evening.
In 2004, the B.C. Ministry of Education and Childcare identified 498 schools with at least one "high risk" building section across B.C. in need of upgrades under the Seismic Mitigation Program.
Of those schools identified, 38 were in Richmond, making up 79 per cent of the district's schools.
So far, 12 elementary schools and one high school have been upgraded, while three elementary schools are currently undergoing remediation.
In 2024, the school district estimated it would cost a total of $775 million to seismically upgrade the 22 schools.
Steveston-London secondary was considered remediated, but a later structural review found that the oldest blocks of the school, built in 1975, also require upgrades, according to a district staff report.
Based on September 2024 enrolment numbers, the four elementary schools with the lowest seismic upgrade cost per student are:
- Donald E. McKay elementary (upgrade estimated to cost $17.5 million)
- Walker Lee elementary (upgrade estimated to cost $24.3 million)
- Tomekichi Homma elementary (upgrade estimated to cost $51.7 million)
For high schools, the lowest cost per student schools are:
- Hugh McRoberts secondary (upgrade estimated to cost $9.9 million)
- RC Palmer secondary (upgrade estimated to cost $11.6 million)
- Matthew McNair secondary (upgrade estimated to cost $41 million)
- Steveston-London secondary (upgrade estimated to cost almost $72.5 million)
“This methodology aligns with the mandate of the (Richmond Project Team) to maximize the number of 'safe seats' in as short a timeframe as possible," reads the report.
This conclusion followed strong public feedback about the priority of investments in areas with high seismic risk and areas with high capacity enrolment.
“Every seismic upgrade project must be reviewed with the lowest cost in mind as it pertains to overall implementation and in particular temporary accommodations.”
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