August 18, 2011: The Halton District School Board has awarded the contract to build a shared high school, public library and community centre facility in Burlington’s Alton community to http://www.bondfield.com/ Bondfield Construction of Concord, Ontario.

The joint facility will cost approximately $40.2 million, to be shared by each of the partners – City of Burlington, Burlington Public Library, and the Halton District School Board. Site preparation will begin immediately, with the official groundbreaking anticipated for September 2011.  The architect for the project is Svedas Architect Inc. of Burlington.

“We look forward to working with our partners to bring this unique facility to completion, and to offering families a state-of-the art high school in north Burlington,” says David Euale, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board. 

Representatives from the school board, Burlington Public Library and City of Burlington signed a three-party agreement August 17 at Burlington City Hall to move forward with the project with completion scheduled for fall 2013.

“Burlington is one Canada’s best cities, offering a high quality of life to residents,” says Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring. “This project is an excellent example of how we continuously strive for improvement, working together with our community partners to create something beneficial to Burlington residents, and, in this case, particularly beneficial for the people of the Alton.”

The facility, located at Dundas St and Tim Dobbie Way, includes a high school built to accommodate 1,200 students, a recreation complex, and a shared library which will be used by the public and the high school. A joint construction team that includes the City of Burlington, the Burlington Public Library and the Halton District School Board will manage the project.  Construction began on the adjoining Norton Park in spring 2011.
           
The Alton Project will include a 147,069 square-foot (13,663 square-metre) school, an 11,840 aggregate square-foot (1,100 aggregate square-metre) joint integrated library and a 53,886 square-foot (5,006 square-metre) community centre. A common entrance, parking and other shared areas will connect these buildings.

“Families in Burlington will benefit from the expansion of library service to the Alton community while benefiting from having a high school and community centre close by,” adds Library Board President, Carrie Brooks-Joiner.

This shared Alton facility will include four competition-sized double gyms, a three-storey high school with a 200-seat auditorium, and a shared 11,840 square-foot (1,110 square metre) integrated library which will be used by the public and the high school, with flexible classroom and public meeting space.
In partnership with Burlington Hydro, the complex will support a rooftop solar system, which will feed energy back into the city’s power grid system.

For additional information, contact:

Marnie Denton
Manager, Communication Services
905-335-3663 ext 2227
dentonm@hdsb.ca
  
Donna Kell   
Manager, Public Affairs    
905-335-7841     
kelld@burlington.ca
 
Nicole Paterson
Manager, Marketing Communications
Burlington Public Library
905-639-3611, ext. 1120
patersonn@bpl.on.ca