The offices of School District 58 are set to have a new home in the near future.

A number of public consultations by the district has developed into a Long Range Facility Plan,  details of which were unveiled in the October board meeting.

“Sometimes that includes making sure that buildings are in a state that allows for safety, for learning, for increased enrolment perhaps,” said SD58 Superintendent Steve McNiven. “…and sometimes that also means taking a look at buildings that may not be in use right now for ongoing learning purposes. So the Ministry of Education supports districts in having Long Range Facility Plans in place, and they’re an important part of the operation plans that districts are expected to have.”

Perhaps chief among the details of the proposed plan is the relocation of the Merritt board office, the Merritt maintenance shops, and the Community Learning Centre, which composes of SCIDES, all to the Coquihalla Middle School by 2023.

Based on the feedback that was received from the public, the stakeholders, and from operations staff, the decision was made to delay the original goal of 2022 for one year.

Also within the plan is the sale of a number of unused lots by the district, including a vacant lot near Nicola Canford Elementary in Lower Nicola.

“The lot in question has never been in use for any particular school facility, and the board believes it’s in the best interest of both the district and the community to seek Ministry approval for its sale,” said McNiven.

The board will also be seeking approval from the Ministry for the sale of the Brookmere Elementary School and Teacherage site.

Consultation between the district and the community also resulted in the decision to enter into discussions with the Town of Princeton for the potential sale of the Riverside Community Centre, located on Old Hedley Rd.

McNiven said that in conversation with town representatives, they expressed that they are “looking forward” to those conversations.

No decision has been made to sell the former Princeton School Board Office at this time.