An amended Project Commitment for the construction of a new junior kindergarten to grade 12 facility has been approved by the Ontario Ministry of Education from the Lambton Kent District School Board.
The new Blue Coast District School, to be in Forest, Ont., was granted $74,066,928 in Capital Funding for the build. With this final funding approval, the LKDSB can move forward toward the construction phase of the new Blue Coast District School, which is currently out for tender.
“Given the scope of the build, the tender process will be thorough. We anticipate having it completed, evaluated, and a contractor selected by the end of October. Things are moving along well, and we are looking forward to the next stages of this important project,” said Caress Lee, LKDSB’s Public Relations Officer, adding that the architectural firm selected for the project is Chatham-based ROA Studios.
The new school will be located just west of the Shores Recreation Centre in Forest, within the Municipality of Lambton Shores. The school will consolidate Aberarder Central School, Bosanquet Central Public School, Kinnwood Central Public School, and North Lambton Secondary School. The build will also support the communities of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, Lambton Shores, and Plympton-Wyoming.
The site will also include:
- A Child and Family Centre with two, free EarlyON rooms that offer programs for families and children from birth to six-years-old.
- A three-room Child Care Centre which will provide 49 new childcare spaces (comprised of 10 infant spaces, 15 toddler spaces and 24 preschool spaces).
- Modern facilities to support a wide range of educational and extracurricular programming for kindergarten to grade 12 students.
“This project has been years in the making and reflects the input and vision of our students, staff, families, and community partners,” said Brian McKay, Associate Director of Corporate Services for LKDSB. “We are excited to see construction begin and look forward to welcoming students to this beautiful new space.”
An initial $27.4 million for the new school was announced by the province in early 2018, followed by $4.7 million in 2021 to purchase land, and a funding boost in 2023 to increase the school’s capacity and childcare spaces. At that time, the board said about $40 million in capital funding had been promised by the province.
A Land Ceremony will take place in September, in recognition of the significance of the site and in respect for the lands on which the new school will be built. The Forest area is part of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation’s traditional territory, which is significant for its ancestral connection to the land and its history as the traditional Ojibwe territory.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support of the Government of Ontario in helping us take this critical next step,” said Gary Girardi, LKDSB’s Director of Education. “The Blue Coast District School will provide an inclusive, innovative, and future-focused learning environment for students from across the community for many, many generations to come.”
