Eddie Joyce, MHA for the District of Bay of Islands, says the
roof for the gymnasium at the new school being constructed in Meadows should
be raised before any further work takes place. The roof currently scheduled
to be constructed for the gymnasium is not high enough to allow the North
Shore of the Bay of Islands to host some major sporting events and
tournaments."The height of the gymnasium for this school was an oversight
by the school board and Department of Education officials and needs to be
rectified immediately," said Mr. Joyce. "Now is the time to rectify this
situation as the roof of the gymnasium is off the building and would not
require a huge investment at this early construction stage. We need the
school board and the Department of Education to work together to get this
fixed as soon as possible.
"It is unfortunate that government seems reluctant to resolve this
problem immediately. I have requested a cost estimate for raising the roof
three feet, but to date the school board has refused to provide me with any
information. I will be meeting with Minister Ottenheimer on Monday, July 5th,
to discuss this matter further. I am hopeful that he will listen to the
logical arguments being put forward by the parents of the North Shore of the
Bay of Islands and will make the funds available to see this modified
project proceed.
"I feel the Minister of Education has been misinformed about this project
and that is the reason he has not yet agreed to these changes. In his June
25th letter to Peggy Mcauley and Karen Matthews, chairs of the
school council, the minister states that the height of the gymnasium was
previously discussed and agreed upon. In actual fact, the tender was awarded
before the school council, staff and students became aware of this issue. It
was not discussed by the school board until after the tender was already
awarded.
"The students of the Bay of Islands are only requesting the same
treatment given to other students in nearby Corner Brook. Herdman Collegiate
will be getting a gymnasium that is an acceptable height. Our students are
only requesting the same treatment as similar schools in urban areas. The
young people of my district are known to be very successful in sporting
activities both provincially and nationally. Without government providing
the funding to raise the gymnasium roof by three feet, I fear our badminton
and volleyball teams will suffer. Tournaments in these particular sports
will no longer be held at our school. I call upon Nada Borden, the new
appointed chair of the school board, to step in and stand up for the parents
and students she represents. If she is not strictly a political appointee,
she should stand up for the people and not be an apologist for the
government.
"During our Monday meeting, I will be inviting Minister Ottenheimer to
join me for a tour of the school and meet with the concerned parents
involved. I feel that once the minister meets with the parents and sees the
new school first hand, he will realize the necessity of moving forward with
this initiative."