Kitsilano Secondary School

Update 1

November 2011

The Ministry of Education has approved the renewal of Kitsilano Secondary. See the Ministry of Education News Release link for more information.

Update 2

Capital Project Bylaw - December 14, 2010

The Board Trustees approved a capital project bylaw of $65 million for the Kitsilano Renewal project – Option D2. For more information see the staff memo Capital Project Bylaw for Kitsilano Secondary Seismic Renewal Concept D2 and the District News article.

Update 3

Project Definition Report - Summer 2010

Staff worked with the consulting team over the summer and submitted a project definition report to the Ministry which requests finalization of a capital Project Agreement.  If the Ministry agrees to finalize a Project Agreement, staff would need to report back to the Board of Trustees requesting approval of a Project Agreement Funding By-law. After the project definition report is submitted, the timing of finalizing a project agreement will largely be determined by Ministry review processes.

Board Meeting - July 5, 2010

The Board confirmed Concept D2 as the preferred development option. Click here to see the meeting minutes.

Update 4

Committee II - June 22, 2010

All three concepts (A2, D2 and F) were presented to the VSB at the June 22, 2010 Planning Committee II meeting. The Consultant Team presented a report that recommends support for a preferred school renewal concept that will incorporate key heritage elements (D2). Click on the following link for more information Committee II Agenda and Reports.

The Committee II passed the following motion on June 22, 2010  "IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT the Board of Trustees confirm Kitsilano Secondary Renewal Concept D2 as the preferred development option and authorize staff to complete a project definition report requesting Ministry of Education finalization of a capital project funding agreement" 

Update 5

Additional Consultation Meetings - May/June 2010

Additional meetings were held with Parent Advisory Committee (PAC), teachers, students, resident associations and the City of Vancouver  to discuss the modified school design concepts.

• Kitsilano Secondary Renewal Plan Newsletter (June 2010)

Project Cost Estimates

In response to the feedback received from the Open House and meetings with the Ministry of Education, the City of Vancouver, and the Kitsilano School Planning Team (KSPT), the Planning Team has made further modifications and refinements to Concepts A2 and D2.  Detailed cost estimates of Concepts A2, D2 and F have also been completed by Advicas Quantity Surveyors.

Project cost estimates have been shared with the Ministry of Education. At this time, the current funding guidelines limit maximum capital funding to the cost of constructing a new school. VSB and the Province acknowledge that the Kitsilano Secondary School renewal project highlights a major policy issue because of the cost of heritage retention.  The Province is currently reviewing this matter.

Discussions have also occurred with the City of Vancouver. City staff wish to see underground parking access off Larch and the construction of a lay-by. This aligns with City policy against new vehicle access across bicycle routes (Trafalgar). The City also has Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) concerns about the proposed courtyard across from the student commons. They suggested moving the gym westward to enclose this area. The Planning Team and KSPT do not support the suggested changes to the A2 concept.

For more information see the following link Kitsilano School Renewal Plan Status Report (May 26, 2010)

Update 6

Open House - March 3, 2010

The Open House held on March 3rd at Kitsilano Secondary School was well attended, with an estimated 225 people visiting. More than 177 people submitted comment forms either at the Open House or in the week following.

The purpose of the Open House was to provide an overview of the Planning Principles and consultation process; to propose a Preferred Concept Design Plan for the school; to propose the community amenities as part of the Neighbourhood Learning Centre initiative, and to receive community feedback. 

Open House Boards

• Introduction, Existing School Context, The Planning Process, Consultation and Planning Principles, 21st Century Learning Environments
• Concept Drawings A - D, Concept Drawings E - F
• Six Concepts: Implementation Analysis, Space Program Comparison, Safety, Continuity and Phasing Plan, Selecting the Preferred Concept
• Proposed Preferred Concept Site Plan, Ground Floor Plan, Second Floor Plan, Third Floor Plan
• Heritage and Proposed Response, Neighbourhood Learning Centres (NLC) Community Amenities, Massing Illustration and Select Design Features, Outdoor Spaces, Building Green
• Project Schedule

Open House Feedback

The feedback received via the comment forms is summarized and documented in the Kitsilano Secondary School Renewal Plan Open House Summary and an associated Appendix - Comment Form Responses and Other Written Responses (received between March 3rd and 11th).

As result of the feedback, a variety of work has been generated by the consultant team and shared with the Kitsilano School Planning Team. This is documented in the Open House Issues & Responses and an associated Appendix, which includes a set of plans and illustrations of key ideas.

Update 7

Development of the Draft Concept Design Plan & Phasing

The Project Consultant Team developed the proposed concepts and the accompanying materials with input from the  VSB Steering Committee, Kitsilano School Planning Team (KSPT), Kits staff and students.

• Jan 29, 2010
• Jan 12, 2010
• Dec 8, 2009

Kitsilano Secondary School Renewal Plan Newsletter  (Feb 2010)

Kitsilano Secondary School Renewal Plan Newsletter  (Jan 2010)

Update 8

Kitsilano Secondary Vision Summary - February 2009

The primary purpose of the event was to engage all members of the “Kits community” in discussion about a vision and priorities for a renewed school. This was an opportunity for staff, parents of Kits and feeder schools, students, alumni and other community members to come together, obtain information, engage in discussion, and share their ideas for the Kits seismic upgrade and school renewal process. The vision is a starting point for planning a renewed school.

• Click here for the Vision Summary (pdf)
• Click here to see the Draft Planning Principles (Revised Dec 2009)

Update 9

The Project Charter - November 2008

The Project Charter is a project management document that identifies how the Vancouver School Board and consultants CitySpaces Consulting Ltd. will work together to meet the project objectives, critical success factors, address potential issues or constraints, and bring the project components together in a Draft Capital Project Agreement.

Click here for the Project Charter (pdf)

Update 10

Neighbourhood Learning Centre Initiative

Kitsilano Secondary School has embarked on a concept design planning process to create a renewed and seismically safe school. The Neighbourhood Learning Centres initiative is part of the Provincial Seismic Mitigation Program.  The initiative encourages community partners to share space within the renewed school facility. Opportunities for including community services in a renewed school will be explored through this planning process. Obvious opportunities for greater collaboration already exist with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and the Kitisilano Community Centre. The renewed school will include services on site that will benefit students and the community. The Ministry of Education will provide additional space as part of the capital project to accommodate community services. Partner agencies are expected to provide their own operational funds and are encouraged to contribute capital funding where possible. For more information see Ministry of Education website for additional background information.