A new building could soon be considered for Blackfalds to replace Iron Ridge Elementary School.

Wolf Creek Public Schools superintendent Jayson Lovell says their board of trustees is about to be presented with a report on what to do with the aging building.

That report was compiled alongside consultants from Alberta Education and the Ministry of Infrastructure. Input was also gathered from stakeholders like parents, school staff and the Town of Blackfalds.

“The next step in the process is to go to the board with the report and have the board look at the various options,” Lovell said.

“One of the options came forward as a very, very strong and viable option, which is in fact potential for a new build.”

Modernization for the Iron Ridge Elementary Campus sits at the top of the school division’s multi-year capital plan, at a cost of $6.7 million.

Part of the elementary school dates back to 1949 and time appears to have caught up with it, with the building at near capacity.

The capital plan details how staff and students have been getting by inside the building, with the library, changerooms and music room converted into classroom space. The school social worker uses “a small room previously utilized as a staff workroom.”

As well, the size of the gym “limits the number of classes that can access the space given Alberta Education’s requirements.”

“Space is certainly a driver in trying to get school modernization or replacement there, but I think the more important point is just ensuring the facility itself meets the need of students and our staff,” Lovell said. “Twenty-first century learning really does require different learning spaces and a different way of structuring the school.”

Lovell said a replacement school would have capacity for 600 students.

Should one be approved, he said it would be built on the existing footprint, to the west.