Plan for Fredericton North school a hit
(excerpts from article published in the Daily Gleaner, February 01/11)

Members of the public and government officials say they're impressed with the plans for a new northside elementary school that were unveiled Monday night.

Parents, students and other members of the community attended an open house at Alexander Gibson Memorial Elementary School. District 18 Supt. Alex Dingwall said that while plans for the school have been in the works for some time, it was the public's first opportunity to see what the building will look like.

The school will replace South Devon Elementary and Alexander Gibson Memorial Elementary in Marysville. It will be located just off Cliffe Street. "This school will house over 500 students. Some of the highlights of the facility, in addition to the classroom space we'll have, will include a First Nations facility room, two gymnasiums, a black box theatre, and we have community rooms for groups that want to come in and use the facility."

Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Jody Carr said the government will spend more than $15 million on the school this year. "It's been a large commitment by the government," he said. "It's going to allow to have a much better school ... and replace two existing, aging schools. I think people are quite excited."

He said he's pleased with the design, which is energy efficient and includes spacious grounds.
Carr said he's confident the school will be finished by September 2012. "It's very doable," he said. "There's a lot of work that needs to be done, but we specifically put the dollars that were needed - over $15 million - to have it completed over this year and next year.

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