A delegation at the Rocky View Schools (RVS) Board of Trustees meeting on June 17 proposed the relocation of Kathyrn School to the more densely populated town of Irricana.
During the meeting, delegate and Irricana resident Ton van Arendonk urged board members to consider the idea, saying the lack of a school in the Irricana community is a “missed opportunity.”
“A school gives the town an opportunity to grow,” he said. “It’s always this chicken and egg problem in small towns, so this would be a really great opportunity to have.”
According to previous year’s censuses, van Arendonk said, there are approximately 166 Irricana-based youth, many of whom are currently bussed to either Kathyrn School or Beiseker Community School. He added that Kathyrn’s population is much smaller and previous censuses indicate there are only a small handful of children that reside there.
In 2019, Kathyrn School had a utility rate of 52 per cent, which RVS’ director of facility planning Colette Winter previously said is not expected to increase unless accommodation changes are made.
Van Arendonk added that the proposed relocation would provide a school closer to home for Irricana residents, while also offering room for students from Airdrie or Calgary to attend, if needed. Driving time to Calgary International Airport from Irricana is approximately 35 minutes, which according to van Arendonk is less time than it takes to drive from north to south Calgary.
“Irricana is always willing if we have a school to provide support for Airdrie and Calgary because they have huge capacity issues,” he said. “So, you can basically ensure that kids could come over to the Irricana school
“Irricana wants to support Airdrie and Calgary by providing young families a safe solution.”
He cited Irricana’s growth and plans for the future as another reason a school would be ideal. Plans include a horse-riding school hall, a new sports complex, an ongoing housing project, high-speed internet, and a medical clinic. He added there is also an ideal spot for a new school to be built in the south end of the community, near Irricana’s downtown.
He said a sports complex could also be used as a sports hall for the school, which would save the community costs for utilities and maintenance.
“Irricana is hoping to grow with a school as part of a bigger plan,” he said. “Kathyrn wasn’t able to grow, as legacy has proven.”
Van Arendonk also cited cost savings for RVS as a reason to relocate, including money saved in bussing students to and from school, expensive upgrades needed on Kathyrn School in the coming years, and money saved in wastewater servicing through a modern treatment system in Irricana.
The majority of Irricana kids could walk or bike to school, he added, which would benefit their mental and physical health.
“They can have time to release their energy from spending long hours in school, with less exposure to traffic,” he said.
Lastly, van Arendonk cited safety concerns over the close proximity of the train tracks to Kathyrn school, as well as a lack of EMS and fire services close by.
Prior to the presentation, van Arendonk said he had made formal presentations to Irricana’s area MLA, Nathan Cooper, as well as Irricana Town council members. He added they are all “basically in favour” of the proposed school relocation.
When reached for comment, the mayor of Irricana, Frank Friesen, declined to comment on the possibility of an Irricana school at this time.
According to Ward 4 Trustee Norma Lang, van Arendonk first approached both Cooper and herself a little over a year ago to discuss the possibility of a school in Irricana.
“When I was first elected to RVS back in 2010, there was, in fact, a starter school for Irricana on the RVS capital plan,” Lang said in an email statement. “There are many reasons why RVS no longer has an Irricana school on the plan – the biggest two being pressing space demands in other areas of the division and secondly, that the development and population growth expected around the Kathyrn and Irricana area never came to life.”
Lang said she enjoyed van Arendonk's presentation, adding she will reference it when RVS conducts its next round of capital plan discussions.
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