Duchess Park School Replacement Dollars Announced

Friday, October 12, 2007 09:48 AM

School District 57 Chair Lyn Hall, stands with students Sarah Gomes, Conrad Foucher and Anna Bruce, who will be among the first to graduate from the new Duchess Park , and on the far right is Minister of Education / Prince George- Mount Robson MLA Shirley Bond.

Prince George, B.C. - The Province will provide $31 million to replace Duchess Park Secondary school with a new building at the Ross Crescent site.

Education Minister and Prince George-Mount Robson MLA Shirley Bond says the new school will provide a safe modern facility for students.

Construction on the new school, expected to begin early next year adjacent to the existing school, will have room for 900 students from grades 8 through 12, including a 250 student French Immersion program.

The new Duchess Park Secondary is expected to open in January 2009.

Once the new school is completed, the current structure will be demolished, providing redeveloped play space and open space. The new school will
also be earthquake safe.

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Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 09:48 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: owl on October 12 2007 12:11 PM

"The new school will also be earthquake safe."

From which earthquake? The Building COde requires buildings to be designed to meet seismic requirements for their sites. I believe the PG area was downgraded to the lowest level in the past few years. The maps can be seen here:

http://earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/hazard/zoning/NBCC2005maps_e.php

There was an earthquake which was felt here some 20 years ago which was in the 6+ range. I was on the third floor of a flat slab concrete building and it felt like bing on the deck of an ocean going ship in a light swell.

There were no damages to buildings in PG at the time that I am aware of.

So, it will be earthquake safe. As I understand it most, if not all other school buildings here are as well, as are other buildings in town for the level of earthquake we can expect. We do not live in a major earthquake zone as you can see from the maps.

Posted by: owl on October 12 2007 12:13 PM

BTW, the old Duchess Park School, which is really not all that old, weathered that earthquake quite nicely as far as I know.

Posted by: Palopu on October 12 2007 8:16 PM

Owl. The Major Earthquake of 1949 off the coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands registered 8.1 on the Richter. This quake recorded a reading of 7.2 in Seattle and was felt in Jasper Alta.

People in Prince George ran out in the streets yelling *Earthquake, Earthquake* the quake registered 5.5 on the Richter in Prince George.

Without dating myself I remember this quake and I remember buildings moving, quite an interesting feeling.

In any event they say that at some point we can expect a quake off the Charlottes in the magnitude of 9.2 something similiar to the big quake in Alaska.

If this were to happen then we could probably expect a quake in Prince George in the neibourhood of 6.6 which could cause some damage.