In September 2017, students, staff, and the community celebrated the newly built Leamington District Secondary School (LDSS) with the Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB).
Project details
The following project details and timeline include:
- Cost: $32 million
- General contractor: Rosati Construction
- Design approved: January 2016
- Construction start date: 2016
- Project completion date: September 2017
The new LDSS building was built to include:
- 27 classrooms
- Six science rooms
- One library
- Triple gym
- Theatre arts room
- Cafeteria
- Two culinary arts rooms
- Transportation and construction technical areas
Land acquisition
In 2013, the Board purchased a new site on 19.2 acres on Oak St. West near the Sherk Athletic Complex for the new LDSS building.
Ground-breaking event
LDSS students and staff helped initiate construction of the project with a ground-breaking event.
Celebration of completion
An Open House was held to officially welcome the students, which attracted hundreds from the community to check out the classrooms, labs, shops, gym, and culinary kitchen. Students from the culinary program prepared snacks in the new, professional restaurant-quality kitchen and served them to the guests during the event. A group of staff, community partners and various contributors to the completion of the $32 million project were thanked at a private gathering.
History
Prior to the project, LDSS was 55 years old and was declared Prohibitive to Repair* by the Ministry of Education. After an initial grant from the Ministry of Education for $10.7 to renovate 80% of the building in 2007, the Board offered a new business plan to the Ministry to ensure the school received a full repair. Two years later, the Ministry approved $26 million to completely rebuild the school. In 2016, the board of Trustees approved a new construction plan and design with a project budget of $32 million.
*Prohibitive to Repair - when the cost of required repairs surpasses 35% of the estimated cost of replacing the building.