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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday December 19, 2008 - 3 Volunteers needed to staff kettles Continued from page 1 NEW LOOK: An architect's rendering of the new St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School, which Halton Catholic District School Board officials hope will be open by December 2010. Delays push back completion date for St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF People passing by St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School may notice a few more buildings on school property. Twenty-two of a total of 24 portables were placed on school grounds by Thursday. The portables will serve as classrooms when the three-story section of the school is closed following exams in late January. Students are slated to start using the portables on Monday, Feb. 2. It's now a waiting game for the board before full construction can go ahead. The main holdup is the site plan application, which has yet to be approved by the Town of Oakville. Board staff is counting on this happening in January at the next Town Site Plan Committee meeting. It is an important step for the project, as without it, the school's original opening date of September 2010 could be pushed back, according to Giacomo Corbacio, superintendent of facility management services. Delays throughout the process mean that completion dates for other portions of the project have already been pushed back, including the school's new track and field. "Because we've lost so much time now, it is critical that we have approval for Jan. 20," Corbacio said. "If we don't get Jan. 20, there's more a risk we won't be ready for September 2010, so what we are looking at now is that the building will be ready for occupancy by December 2010, and the demolition of the older school and site work, including the field, exterior and landscape, would be done by the spring (2011). We've lost a whole construction season." The new school is a priority to Town staff, according to Ralph Robinson, Ward 1 Sign up on Line councillor and member of the Town Site Plan Committee. "Although not positive, I expect it will be on the 20th of Jan. (agenda)," Robinson told The Oakville Beaver. Corbacio said he understands the Town has a lot on its plate. "We're very appreciative of the efforts of Town staff to make it a priority," he said. The board has applied for four building permits to expedite as much work as possible, while waiting for the site plan application approval. These permits are for internal classroom alterations and construction of new rooms, such as the main office; the occupancy of the portable classrooms by students; front door access entry/exit alterations on the Dorval Drive side of the building and disconnecting and reworking the electrical and mechanical services to separate the three-story building from the two-story building; and demolition of the three-story part of the building. "Demolition (of the three-story section) will probably happen in Feb. or March," Corbacio said. "It depends on a number of issues. Weather is a predominant concern. For all intents and purposes, everything we need will be out of the three-story section by Feb. 2." Only the first permit had been issued by the Town as of Tuesday evening. Another challenge faced by planners is locker allocation. The three-story part of the school that will be cordoned off contains many lockers. Some will be relocated to the two-story building, but there is not enough space for all of them. Board staff are considering two options to remedy this, including having Grade 9 students, and some Grade 10 students, share lockers, or purchasing half-lockers. The locker relocation will be completed by the beginning of semester two. Architectural renderings of the exterior of the new school have been created. Floor plans for the three-story, $32 million school have also been drawn up in consultation with school staff. Design elements of the school grounds were tweaked late this fall to further meet concerns expressed by local residents, according to Corbacio. The green buffer between the school parking lot and residents living along Tavistock Square was increased. A twometre high fence will also be built along that stretch. Green space was also increased by widening the walking path that runs across school property, Corbacio said. "What's nice is that we've enhanced the green space," he said. "There's a walkway that goes through and connects Rebecca to Lakeshore along a green walking path, so the neighbours can walk through rather than go around. It is one of the nicer features of the site." Not every problem residents identified could be addressed, such as the light pollution caused by the addition field lights, high number of parking spaces and lack of green space, but Corbacio said board staff did the best they could. "It has been a healthy exercise to go through this," Corbacio said. "The process has resulted in a better project, we just hoped we could do it sooner and quicker." The next two and a half years will require the patience of school students and staff, according to Corbacio. Board staff is doing what they can to make the transition as seamless as possible, such as finding alternate fields for the school's outdoor teams. "It is going to take a lot of cooperation because we are really just beginning now and there's a lot of patience required to get through this," he said. and Lakeshore Road at Trafalgar Road. No donations can be collected at a kettle that does not have supervision, so the Salvation Army relies on volunteers to do the job. It has had both corporate, group and individual sponsors do the job so far this season and it is not turning anyone away. Anyone wishing to help out by standing with a kettle for a period of time can still volunteer by calling Kathy Macdonald at 289-838-9163. The Salvation Army in Oakville is located at 1225 Rebecca St. It is a community church that numbers about 50 in its congregation. As outreach to the church, the Salvation Army maintains many community programs designed to assist those in need. The Salvation Army operates the Lighthouse Shelter that offers a total of 25 beds for men and women. A Toy Depot opened Monday, Nov. 24 to serve clients who qualify and need to shop for toys or stocking stuffers for their children in order to provide a kid a Christmas. Oakville Place's Toy Mountain provides toys to the Salvation Army's toy depot. The church also operates a food bank out of its Rebecca Street headquarters. A Christmas fellowship dinner will be hosted in conjunction with St. Paul's United Church this Sunday, Dec. 21. Anyone in need of a warm meal can contact the Salvation Army to obtain a ticket. Tickets can be picked up at the church office at 1225 Rebecca St. or by calling Diane at 905-827-6523. The annual kettle campaign helps fund numerous programs, particularly the toy depot and fellowship dinner, as well as a Christmas hamper program for those in need. For more information, contact the Salvation Army Oakville at 905-827-5324, community@salvationarmyoakville.ca or www.salvationarmyoakville.ca. Coming soon..... On all purchases between Nov. 25th & Dec. 24th, 2008. 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