Outdoor classroom proposed in Lorette

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This article was published 18/02/2019 (1890 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Lorette school principal and business owner are hoping to raise $200,000 to turn an underdeveloped corner of schoolyard into a landscaped play and learning area.

On Tuesday, Dawson Trail School principal Randy Engel and Home Hardware owner Dave Audette asked Tache council for a $20,000 contribution to the project, spread over two years.

“We need to get kids outside more,” Audette said. “We have a bit of a crisis on our hands with our young people.”

Preliminary drawings show a 20,000-sq-ft. outdoor space on the schoolyard’s northeast corner, ringed by trees and a grass berm. Circular log seating would be used to create an outdoor classroom.

Play elements include a variety of water, sand, and rock features, with wood chips and crushed limestone underfoot. A log path would run down one side, a nod toward the historic Dawson Trail.

Engel and Audette said the idea emerged from the school’s sustainability committee, as a way to address a corner of the schoolyard with deteriorating asphalt and poor drainage.

Seine River School Division would act as general contractor, and the school’s custodian would take care of maintenance, Engel said. The community and other schools would be welcome to use the space too.

With pledges in hand totalling $80,000, Engel and Audette said they’re looking to drum up the remainder from Seine River School Division, corporate sponsors, and the school’s parent advisory committee.

They’re also seeking a $10,000 contribution from the LUD of Lorette, but aren’t seeking funds from DSFM, which operates the neighbouring Ecole Lagimodiere.

If the funding materializes, they hope to start groundwork this spring, with the rest of the project proceeding in phases.

Tache mayor Justin Bohemier called the plan “a neat concept” and said council will revisit the request during its budget planning process.