Renovations

• Gym 002 partial ceiling removal for radiator piping associated with room 218 behind drywall ceiling. Temporarily reinstallation prior to end of March break. Room handed back to HWDSB for caretaker cleaning.
• Classroom 215 complete installation of architectural finishes, construction clean, and project team room review prior to end of March break and handover of classroom back to HWDSB for caretaker cleaning.
• Classroom 218 partial removal of radiator and piping. Installation of new suspended ceiling system. Room remains offline after March break. Class temporarily relocated to Gym 002.
• Classrooms in 1900’s school wing commence partial radiator and piping removal and prepare exterior walls/windows to receive unit ventilator ducting. Rooms handed back to HWDSB at the end of March break for caretaker cleaning. Work may continue afterhours after March break.
• Classrooms in 1950’s school wing commence partial radiator and piping removal. Rooms (excluding 218) handed back to HWDSB at the end of March break for caretaker cleaning.
• All holes between flooring levels to be fire caulked by end of March break at all locations where piping was removed.

• Classroom 218 unit is ready to be handed back to caretaker cleaning on March 22.
• Movers are scheduled March 22 evening to relocate furniture back into classroom 218 and out of classroom 214 to Gym 002.
• Classroom 214 will have partial removal of radiator and piping. Installation of new suspended ceiling system. Room remains offline until April 15. Class temporarily relocated to Gym 002.
• Classrooms in 1900’s school wing will commence structural reviews in preparation of supporting new openings for ductwork, located in the current tarped areas. Rooms on third and fourth floor will have the construction team access them and caretakers will review all rooms every morning to confirm cleanliness.

• Classroom 214 is ready to be handed back for caretaker cleaning on April 4.
• Movers are scheduled April 4 evening to relocate furniture back into classroom 214 and out of classroom 219 to Gym 002.
• Classroom 219 will have partial removal of radiator and piping. Installation of new suspended ceiling system. Room remains offline from April 8 to April 22. Class will be temporarily relocated to Gym 002.
• Classrooms in 1900’s school wing will have work done on the exterior wall in preparation of new lintel installation at unit ventilator ductwork penetrations, located in the current tarped areas. Rooms on 3^rd and 4^th floor will have construction team access them and caretakers will review all rooms every morning to confirm cleanliness.

• Classroom 219 is ready to be handed back for caretaker cleaning on April 19.
• Movers are scheduled April 19 evening to relocate furniture back into classroom 219 and out of classroom 220 to Gym 002.
• Classroom 220 will have partial removal of radiator and piping. Installation of new suspended ceiling system. Room remains offline from April 22 to May 3. Class will be temporarily relocated to Gym 002.
• Classrooms in 1900’s school wing will have work done on the exterior wall in preparation of new lintel installation at unit ventilator ductwork penetrations, located in the current tarped areas. Rooms on the 3rd and 4th floor will be accessed by the construction team to complete the work behind the tarp. Caretakers will continue to review all rooms every morning to confirm cleanliness.

While work is intended to be completed after hours there may be a requirement to take over one classroom at a time. Students and staff will use the learning commons or gymnasium as a temporary learning space, as required.

Intrusive work has paused while the contractor awaits delivery of unit ventilators to be placed into the classrooms and is working to coordinate their placement. Work will resume during the evenings in unoccupied spaces on February 20. The work begins at 4 p.m. daily and continues until 11:30 p.m. During all hours of the day, the construction work areas are separated from the occupied areas of the school with hoarding. No work will take place in occupied spaces and no work is planned for daytime hours. The project will continue into the summer and into the 2024-25 school year.

The asbestos inventory located at the school is a mandated document meant to provide information on asbestos containing materials that are present within the school. Not all areas are accessible when creating the inventory so we take a cautious approach to communicating materials that may contain asbestos. However, prior to commencing any construction a third-party qualified environmental consultant investigates to confirm whether materials that may be worked on contain asbestos or other regulated substances. This is called a designated substance audit report (DSAR). DSAR’s are provided to the contactor prior to construction commencing.

DSA Report (DSAR) – Mary Hopkins HVAC

The third-party qualified environmental consultant who provides the designated substant audit report (DSAR) outlines the steps to safely remove asbestos. The steps of removal are as per Ontario regulation. The general contractor then completes the removals using a certified environmental contractor who is selected from our vendor of record. The environmental consultant returns to review the removals and provides an associated report to confirm the work was completed in accordance with the regulation prior to construction continuing.

HWDSB is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all people in Board-owned facilities in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act. 

Should the unexpected happen, where asbestos is unintentionally disturbed in the school, HWDSB will notify the school community. A decision would be made to either move students and staff to another area or close the facility. An investigation would occur to determine the potential for exposure. Air sampling and cleaning measures would also take place to ensure that student and staff health and safety is maintained. 

No hazardous building materials have been disturbed during daytime occupied hours.

Yes, air conditioning will be provided.

MTE Consultants Inc.

GenPro.

Schouten Environmental

Indoor Air quality testing is an approach used to check whether the ventilation system is functioning properly to provide adequate ventilation to reduce complaints, usually related to human bio effluents. Traditional indoor air quality testing is not used to detect dust, mould, or asbestos. HWDSB has not performed an indoor air quality test.

All work with respect to lead containing material follows the guidance from the Ministry of Labour and the Environmental Abatement Council of Canada. We heard concerns about lead from our parents and staff and have conducted a clearance test to be certain that our cleaning process is effective.

A final report can be found here: Mary Hopkins – Lead Sampling Letter – Feb-23-24

A) Construction only takes place after school hours and on weekends in a sealed classroom and/or tarped enclosure within the classrooms that are not accessible to students or staff. Areas around the classroom are cleaned by the contractor and by caretakers at the end of their workday and prior to the staff and students returning the school day.

B) Construction abatement activities follow the processes outlined by our third-party environmental consultant, in accordance to the respective regulation and guidelines.

C) If concealed asbestos not included in the DSA Report is found, the contractors stop work, third-party environmental consultants test the suspect materials and if required, the abatement contractor will remove the material safely.

D) If mould is found the contractors stop work, the abatement contractor completes the removal/cleaning of the materials in question following the instructions of our third-party environmental consultant.

E) Once the construction is complete in each classroom, the prime consulting team (architect and engineers) and third-party environmental consultant will review and confirm that the work is completed according to the plan, is safe and ready to hand back to the school for use.