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Opening day at Stittsville’s Maplewood Secondary School has been put off — again.
The new high school on Cope Drive wasn’t ready for the first day of school on Sept. 3, but students and their families were told the school the school was expected to open on Tuesday. Outstanding safety concerns mean the city has not issued the required occupancy permit.
“At the request of the builder, city inspectors have been on site at Maplewood Secondary School several times since the start of the school year to undertake inspections. As of Sept. 16, the building still had not met the required safety criteria to permit occupancy. The current deficiencies relate to the fire and life safety systems, including sprinklers, fire alarm, emergency lighting and generator,” Ottawa chief building official, John Buck, said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.
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“City inspectors understand the urgent nature of this permit and are working diligently with the builder and consultants to facilitate a phased occupancy approach, whereby portions of the building are permitted to be occupied as soon as they meet code compliance, while work continues on the incomplete portions,” that statement said.
The setbacks has forced the Ottawa Carleton District School Board to activate a contingency plan, with Grade 7 and 8 students temporarily moved to the former D.A. Moodie Intermediate School in Bells Corners and Grade 9 students scheduled for online classes.
With the opening expected to be imminent, all students in Grades 7 to 9 were told they would be “learning from home (asynchronous) under the teacher’s guidance” on Friday and Monday. That plan was to remain in place all week, the board said.
In an email to school families Tuesday afternoon, Superintendent of Education A.J. Keene placed blame for the delays squarely on the general contractor, Tambro Construction.
“Despite concerns raised by OCDSB staff, Tambro Construction was insistent until inspection day, Aug. 30, that it would meet the occupancy requirements,” the email said. “After failing the Aug. 30 inspection, and, despite repeated requests, Tambro Construction has not provided the OCDSB with an updated occupancy schedule.
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“The OCDSB is doing everything in its power to ensure that Tambro Construction completes the outstanding deficiencies without any further delay.”
A public information session is planned for Wednesday between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.at Shingwakons Public School at 480 Cope Dr. in Stittsville.
Maplewood is already two years late opening because of the COVID-19 pandemic and related supply-chain issues and labour shortages.
Stittsville is one of Ottawa’s fastest-growing suburbs, but does not have its own public high school Stittsville now has more than 52,000 residents. Until now, its public high school students had to bus to Richmond to attend South Carleton High School about 14 kilometres to the south.
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