The province announced the location of a new high school in Bedford yesterday, but some are concerned the current design does not accommodate for the area’s growth trends.
“If we open it … at the status quo right now, which is 1,200 (students), that doesn’t give us any flexibility,” said Elaine Loney, chair of the Charles P. Allen High School advisory council.
Loney added if past trends continue, more than 1,400 students could be walking through the doors on opening day, which is expected to be in September 2013.
Loney, a Bedford resident of 13 years, has been with the project since her son, Stephen, entered Bedford Junior High School more than five years ago.
She said the high school will accommodate for the cutting-edge International Baccalaureate, Options and Opportunities and fine-arts programs that Charles P. Allen currently boasts.
The province is spending $37 million on the project. Municipal enhancements, which have yet to be determined, could bulk up the current 126,000-square-foot design, said Darrell MacDonald, director of facilities management for the Department of Education.
Despite concerns about the number of students it could support, Loney said the new high school will be the heart of Bedford and Hammonds Plains.
“I’m thrilled we’re finally seeing this come to life,” she said.
