The school with the highest seismic risk in Surrey will be upgraded to protect students and staff in an earthquake. The Ministry of Education and the Surrey board of education have signed a $4.0 million agreement to bring J.T. Brown Elementary up to the latest seismic safety standards.

With the signed agreement now in place, the Surrey school district will begin the upgrade next summer with the project slated for completion by September 2015. The upgrade will include new steel braced frames, new plywood sheathing and improvements to connections to strengthen the existing structure.

The 260 kindergarten to grade five students currently enrolled at J.T. Brown Elementary will continue to attend the school. The district will utilize portable classrooms to accommodate students and staff during the upgrade. These classrooms will be removed after construction is completed.

In 2008, the Ministry of Education committed $10 million to the Surrey school district for seismic remediation to several schools and eight schools have already been completed under this program. J.T. Brown Elementary is the last facility to be upgraded under this $10 million funding. In addition, 11 other facilities were remediated under the Seismic Mitigation Program. When J.T. Brown Elementary is completed in 2015 it will bring the total number of schools seismically upgraded in the district to 20.

Quotes:

Peter Fassbender, Minister of Education -

"Student and staff safety is paramount to us, which is why we have been working with school districts and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC since 2001 to address high-risk schools across B.C.

In the last eight years we have completed seismic upgrades for 19 schools in Surrey. Soon, students and staff at J.T. Brown Elementary will benefit from this modern upgrade and enhanced learning environment."

Marvin Hunt, MLA Surrey-Panorama -

"As a father and long-time resident of Surrey, the seismic upgrade to J.T. Brown Elementary is great news for our community. It's very reassuring to know that our children and teachers will be protected inside the school if an earthquake occurs. I look forward to the day when construction begins on this upgrade."

Shawn Wilson, chair, Surrey board of education -

"Our board is pleased to be able to move ahead with the seismic upgrade project at J.T. Brown Elementary and I thank the Ministry of Education for the funding to make this happen. Our board also recognizes and appreciates the patience of the school community as the work is underway to improve the safety of the school."

Quick Facts:

• J.T. Brown Elementary has a seismic rating of H-2, which makes it the highest-ranked seismic project in the Surrey school district.
• Since 2001, the Province has invested more than $276 million for 49 capital and seismic projects and 12 site acquisitions in the Surrey school district. This project list includes 10 new schools, including Adams Road Elementary. In addition, the Province invested more than $25.8 million for additional space for Full Day Kindergarten.

Learn More:

Ministry of Education's Seismic Mitigation Program: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/capitalplanning/seismic/

BC's Education Plan: www.bcedplan.ca

Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963