The board of directors of the Centre de services scolaire de la Vallée-des-Tisserands (CSSVT) has terminated the contract with the contractor responsible for the work to expand the École Baie-Saint-François secondary school in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.
The decision was made during a special meeting held on September 13.
According to a statement issued by the CSSVT, sound contract management and responsible administration of public funds led them to take drastic action to ensure the delivery of the building as well as the safety and well-being of its students and staff.
Since the fall of 2021, the CSSVT has preferred to trust the construction process, which was originally to have been completed for the start of the 2023 school year. Certain requirements and delays pushed back the delivery time, to the extent that students returned to classes at the start of this school year amid a construction zone once again.
The statement points to recent reports about the state of the construction site, as well as the urgency to complete the project, as cause for concern. A decision had to be made that was in line with the expectations and needs of the school community.
“The CSSVT teams are sensitive to the concerns that this situation could cause, for students and their parents, as well as for staff and community partners. What’s important for now is that we remain in solution mode, so that we can get through this period with vigilance, flexibility, and an eye to the future,” says CSSVT director general Suzie Vranderick.
The CSSVT work has already begun the process of awarding the contract to complete the unfinished work to enlarge the school.
Once the new contractor is known, the CSSVT will inform the community of its plans and the new delivery schedule for the school. (SR)