Mutchmor school project short $870,000

Expansion plan faces ‘significant challenges,’ report says

A plan to renovate and expand Mutchmor Public School in the Glebe faces a shortfall of more than $870,000, say staff with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

The heritage school at 185 Fifth Ave. needs more space to meet requirements for fullday kindergarten. A proposed addition would contain nine classrooms, a new main office and library, and renovations would create three new classrooms in the existing school.

The Ministry of Education has provided much of the funding for the proposed $7.5-million project, but a shortfall of $871,821 remains, says a report to the board of trustees, which sits as committee of the whole on Tuesday night.

“An addition onto a ‘heritage’-designated building in the Glebe Community has significant challenges which directly impact on construction costs,” the report states. Additional structural work is needed, designs face more stringent requirements, and various approvals must be obtained, for example.

Staff have started discussions with the ministry, which are to continue if the board approves the project’s budget, according to the report.

“There is general acknowledgment in the Ontario education sector that the capital benchmarks address new construction on a new site, not renovations to existing heritage designated buildings in urban areas,” it states, adding that “if the additional funding is not received, staff will not issue the construction tender.”

The project faces a “very tight timeline,” according to the report, with plans for a “switch” to take place between staff and programs at First Avenue and Mutchmor public schools by September of next year.

Under a proposed schedule, construction would start in late summer.

“Any deviation to the critical timeline, or delays to the approvals of the project, will have a direct impact on the opening of the school for September 2014 and potentially require movement of students at a number of schools within the Glebe community to address space issues for the 2014-2015 school year,” the report states.