B.D. Stevens Ltd. to Build Barrington School

Work on the new school in Barrington, Shelburne Co., will begin by mid-November.

The last hurdle was cleared with the award of the $12.3-million construction contract to B.D. Stevens Ltd., part of the Dartmouth-based Stevens Group of Companies.

Although each of the three bids for the project was higher than anticipated, the Department of Education decided to proceed immediately rather than re-design the school to reduce costs.

"Re-designing the school would have taken six to eight months," said Education Minister Jamie Muir. "This is the right school for the community and now is the right the time to build it."

Mr. Muir thanked the Tri-County Regional School Board, municipal council, and the school steering team for their patience and hard work on the project.

The 8,100 square-metre (90,000 square-foot) school will be built on the site known as Oak Park and will accommodate 711 students from Grades 7 to 12.

The target for completion is early 2006. The Department of Transportation and Public Works will oversee the construction of the school.