9 Calgary schools to get upgrades, announces province

The provincial government announcedmodernization projectstoday for nine schools in Calgary.

They include upgrades for four public schools, two Catholic schools, two charter school facilities and a francophone school.

Officials gathered at a southeast school this afternoon for the announcement.

Infrastructure MinisterRicMcIversays the projects will include improving accessibility, adding fire and sprinkler systemsand improving mechanical and electrical systems on some older schools.

However, the finalprice tagfor fixing up the nine Calgary schools is not yet known.

"We'll work with the school boards to put the tenders together and once those tenders come back, then we'll know the exact price tag by project," said

Sheila Taylor, the chair of the Calgary Board of Education,says there is a muchlonger list of schools that need work but she is pleased some money is coming.

"We're happy to seemodernizations," she said."We're also expecting to see some new schools announced in the next few months and those are really desperately needed."

Taylor says one of the bigger projects will be building a new home for ChristineMeikleSchoolan aging facility which serves special needs students