SD51 resubmits Boundary Central request alongside $2.475M capital package

Boundary Central Secondary School in Midway is back on School District 51’s major-capital list after its previous funding request was unsuccessful.

Photo: Boundary Central Secondary School/School District 51

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MIDWAY — School District 51 is putting Boundary Central Secondary School back before the province for major capital funding after its previous request went unfunded, while also seeking $2.475 million in specifically priced minor-capital projects across the Boundary.

Trustees are scheduled to consider the district’s 2027/28 capital plan at their Sept. 22 meeting. The package includes a renewed major-capital request for Boundary Central, nine specifically priced minor-capital proposals and a request to replace an end-of-life diesel school bus with an electric model. None of the projects in the new package has been approved for funding.

The Boundary Central request follows an unsuccessful submission in SD51’s 2026/27 capital plan. District staff had initially not planned to submit another major-capital request for 2027/28, but that changed following discussions with ministry staff in late June.

According to the report going to trustees, resubmitting the project would help maintain the visibility of the district’s need with the province. Because those discussions came shortly before the June 30 submission deadline, SD51 submitted the project before receiving the usual board resolution, with ministry staff advising that the resolution could follow.

Boundary Central, built in 1969, is the only Grade 8 to 12 secondary school serving the West Boundary, and the district has been raising the possibility of major work at the school for several years. In its 2024/25 capital plan, SD51 listed Boundary Central as a Priority 3 replacement project and said the purpose was to signal that the district would be requesting replacement of the school within the next five years.

Later capital plans described the proposal as a major renovation under the province’s School Replacement Program rather than a straightforward full-school replacement.

That distinction remains unresolved in the current public package. The Sept. 22 report again uses replacement language, but it does not say whether SD51 is now proposing a complete replacement or continuing with the reduced-footprint renovation concept described in earlier plans.

Previous district documents show that Boundary Central was built for about 450 students, while average enrolment over a five-year period was about 125. SD51 said no significant enrolment growth was expected over the following decade and proposed reducing the building’s overall footprint as part of a major renovation.

The district has already completed a number of capital projects at the school, including roof and insulation work, HVAC improvements, a science lab upgrade, security-system work and network upgrades. Other work remains, and a previous capital submission estimated that replacing exterior doors and windows alone would cost more than $2.2 million, while also identifying additional needs involving HVAC, roofing, lighting, changerooms and accessibility.

No total cost for the current major Boundary Central proposal is included in the public Sept. 22 board package.

SD51 is also seeking another $350,000 for work at Boundary Central through two separate minor-capital programs: $100,000 for LED lighting and $250,000 for HVAC replacement and a building-management system upgrade.

Those projects form part of a wider $2.475-million package of priced minor-capital requests. The district is asking for $300,000 to replace roof sections at Perley Elementary, Grand Forks Secondary and Christina Lake Elementary, and another $300,000 for the second phase of fire-suppression system replacement involving Grand Forks Secondary and West Boundary Elementary.

Other requests include $350,000 for an elevator replacement at Grand Forks Secondary, $250,000 for fire-suppression lines and reservoir work at West Boundary Elementary in Rock Creek, and $525,000 for server-switch replacement at the Walker Development Centre.

SD51 is also seeking $200,000 for a generator and automatic-breaker replacement at Grand Forks Secondary and $200,000 for accessible playground equipment and fall surfacing at Christina Lake Elementary.

The priced requests include $1.725 million under the School Enhancement Program, $550,000 through the Carbon Neutral Capital Program and $200,000 through the Playground Equipment Program.

The district has also again requested funding to replace an end-of-life diesel school bus with an electric model. No price is included in the current public package.

SD51 sought $184,649 for a similar electric-bus replacement in its previous capital plan, but the bus was not included among the district’s subsequently approved 2026/27 minor-capital projects.

Separate charging infrastructure has received funding. In March 2025, SD51 received $450,000 in provincial funding for electrical upgrades and electric-bus charging infrastructure after its federal Zero Emission Transit Fund application was approved. District records say the charging project involved its Marlex and Midway bus garages.

Capital-plan submissions are requests to the province and do not guarantee funding. The province reviews district submissions before identifying major projects that will move forward for further development and minor projects that will receive funding.

Trustees will be asked Sept. 22 to approve both the major and minor capital-plan submissions.

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