Construction at Sarnia’s new Gregory A. Hogan Catholic School is coming along as officials expect to have a roof on the facility before the start of summer.
The St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SCCDSB) began the construction process in October after it received approval from the Ontario Ministry of Education in March 2022.
The school board had previously planned to open the school in September 2023, but the timeline was later pushed back and it's currently hoped that students will move into the facility in January 2024.
Director of Education Scott Johnson said the second-floor slab was recently installed and all load-bearing walls are expected to be up by the end of April.
"We have a new structural steel roof choice coming in and a metal deck that's arriving in April. The weather through the winter has really allowed us to stay on track of time," he said.
Construction of Sarnia's new Gregory A. Hogan Catholic School - Apr. 17/23 (Blackburn Media Photo by Natalia Vega)
Despite the recent heavy rainfall this spring, Johnson said it hasn't slowed down the construction process.
"In fact, they're hoping to get the roof on quite soon so that weather no longer becomes a problem for us and we're hoping that that should be happening in the next two months," he said.
Johnson said the third phase of the project is coming in at cost. The school board had gone to the Ministry of Education twice for additional funds as the total project was initially expected to cost $19 million but will now come in at approximately $24 million or $25 million.
"The funding model and the increasing prices over the last six years of planning was the biggest hurdle but receiving our second round of additional funds from the ministry this school year really helped us bring this project to fruition," Johnson said.
Similar to the ground blessing that took place in the fall, Johnson said a ceremony will take place when the school opens, and the Bishop may attend.
The state-of-the-art school will serve 659 students and is located on The Rapids Parkway.