The yet-to-be-named new secondary school for west Niagara is putting down roots. On Monday, January 15, Trustees on the DSBN Finance Committee approved the purchase of 20 acres of land at 4670 Durham Road, fronting on King Street in Beamsville. The property is located near the border of the Town of Lincoln, just outside of the urban boundary. The decision will be ratified at the January 23 board meeting. 

“We are very pleased to have found property located centrally to the majority of the student population to be served by the new school,” said Dale Robinson, Chair of the Board. “From the outset of this process, we felt it important to find a location below the escarpment to maximize accessibility.”

The new west Niagara secondary school will be built to accommodate over 1,500 students. It will have over 60 classrooms, which will include science, technology, music, and other programs. The school will have gymnasiums and a synthetic turf field and track to support athletic programs and physical activity. 

“This is an important next step in the process to deliver a new school to serve the west Niagara community,” said Warren Hoshizaki, DSBN Director of Education. “With the location of the school settled, we will look to work with community partners to enhance the school as we have done in previous builds.” An example of this kind of community collaboration can be found at Greater Fort Erie Secondary, where the DSBN and the Town of Fort Erie partnered together on a $3 million dollar centre for the arts. 

The purchase of the property is contingent on receiving Ministry funding. To date, the Ontario government has committed to providing approximately $41 million dollars to fund the school’s construction.