Ground was broken in September to begin the Queen Mary seismic upgrade and heritage restoration project. Phase 1 of the project is focused upon the safe removal of asbestos, lead paint and other potentially hazardous materials from the school building. Selective demolition of portions of the site is also underway.

Asphalt and pavement removal are on track to prepare for the new layout of the landscape, sidewalks and playfields. Reconstruction work is scheduled to begin in 2012.

The boulevard in front of the school continues to serve as a meeting place for the school bus from Queen Mary to Cloverly and a canopy is in place to provide shelter on rainy days while students wait for the bus.

The School Board office adjacent to Queen Mary is scheduled for demolition by the end of the summer of 2012 to provide a clear site for the future Polygon residential development. The proceeds from this land sale will fund the heritage component of the Queen Mary restoration.

-30-

July 13, 2011

Architect's drawing of the exterior (north-facing) side of the future Queen Mary Elementary.

Queen Mary Elementary proposed site plan. Please click on the image to enlarge.

-30-

July 12, 2011

The last day of the 2011/2012 school year was also the last day of teaching at the original Queen Mary Elementary. Classroom contents have now been moved to the Cloverley facility—which will serve as the location of the school community for the next two years. To assist with student transportation to the temporary location, beginning in September daily school bus service has been arranged from Queen Mary to Cloverley.

Daycamp programs and childcare offered by the Queen Mary Community Services Society will remain in operation over the summer. Come September, the Society and its services will relocate to Cloverley to join the rest of the school community.

Demolition of the old school will begin in September.

At the recent National Aboriginal Day Celebration at the old Queen Mary Elementary, a First Nations blessing for the new building project was performed.

-30-

February 17, 2011

We have now received official word from the Ministry of Education that our request for an expanded Queen Mary School Neighbourhood Learning Centre (NLC) was approved.  The NLC will occupy 478 square meters of the restored and upgraded Queen Mary School, and includes space for a Community Development Coordinator's office, Queen Mary Community Services Assoc., and an expanded gym. 

Letters of support from the City of North Vancouver, the North Vancouver Recreation Commission, Vancouver Coastal Health, Queen Mary Community School, and North Shore Community Resources attested to the high level of community support.  Thank-you very much for your involvement.  We look forward to completing working drawings so that construction can start in summer of 2011.

-30-

January 10, 2011

Queen Mary Elementary atrium architect's fly-through video

Queen Mary Elementary addition architect's drive-by video

January 5, 2011

The design of the restored and updated Queen Mary Elementary School is on schedule.  The consultant team led by DA Architects and Planners is now focussing on the detailed drawings and specifications required for construction of the project.  The project is on track so that trade tenders can be received by the Construction Manager in July 2011 for an August construction start.

Additional testing of the structural capacity of floors and columns occurred over the Christmas break.  Core samples of the concrete of the original 1914 structure were taken and are being analyzed for their chemical and physical characteristics.  Results of these tests will guide the Structural Engineer to reinforce building components to resist seismic forces of a magnitude specified by the current building code.

Consultation with the broad community and the school community has been ongoing.  Consultation has allowed the predefined Ministry-allocated spaces to be configured to best suit school and community users.  The design team has presented and consulted with a number of external committees including the City of North Vancouver Heritage Advisory Commission, and the Advisory Design Panel.  DA  Architects and Planners presented the project at the November 2, 2010 NVSD Finance and Facilities Meeting, which was appropriately held in the library of Queen Mary School.  The design team has consulted regularly with the Queen Mary Project Steering Committee which has parent, staff, and trustee representatives.  The design team also held two staff design workshops with the Queen Mary staff.  Consultation has also occurred with the Neighbourhood Learning Centre groups including the North Vancouver Recreation Commission, the CNV Community Development Department, and the Queen Mary Community Services Association, operators of the daycare. 

June 14, 2010

On Monday, June 14, 2010, Bill Reid, Principal of Queen Mary Elementary, welcomed representatives from D/A Architects, and the North Vancouver School District to update parents, teachers, Queen Mary community group partners and Queen Mary neighbours on the Seismic Upgrade and Heritage Restoration Project.  This public meeting provided the Queen Mary community an opportunity to ask questions and provide comments about the project and the following information was reviewed with those in attendance.

The school building at the Cloverley site will be used to accommodate Queen Mary students during the two year construction period, starting September, 2011.

The “new” Queen Mary School will continue to be a 3-storey structure within the heritage shell.  The architect contemplates restoring some of the windows and archways that have been filled in.  A number of walls will be removed to allow light and views into the interior of the school, and will feature an open staircase linking the three floors. 

Queen Mary Community Services Association will continue to be accommodated in the new school in space provided by the Ministry of Education’s “Neighbourhood Learning Centre” (NLC) program.  The School District is in process of applying to the Ministry for additional NLC space for an expanded gym.  These NLC facilities were wholly endorsed by those attending the June 14th meeting. 

Queen Mary School is protected by the City of North Vancouver’s Heritage Bylaw.  D/A Architects and Barry McGinn, Heritage Consultant, said that initial structural assessments indicated that a considerable amount of the building can be retained.  Consultants have confirmed that exterior walls, the roof, floors, and columns generally have sufficient structural integrity to allow their retention, but they must be upgraded. 

In addition to structural changes to Queen Mary School the current soccer field, the hard court area, and the parking lot will be reconfigured to ensure that there will be no net loss of these features.  The zoning of the current School Board Office site adjacent to Queen Mary allows for the construction of two four-storey multi-family buildings and townhouses.  While the start date of this residential development is not certain, the projected start time is no sooner than the spring of 2012.

For further information or clarification, please contact Ian Abercrombie, Director of Facilities and Planning at: iabercrombie@nvsd44.bc.ca

Queen Mary Powerpoint Presentation, June 14th, 2010