Riverview school delay leaves officials scrambling

Anglophone East School District officials are busy coming up with a Plan B after Friday's announcement that a newK-8 school in Riverview will not be opening in September as scheduled.

Gregg Ingersoll, the district superintendent, said students will remain in their assigned classes, but he's still not sure where those classes will be held.

Meanwhile, officials are contacting parents, trying to set their minds at ease,he said.

"I think for most parents it's just they want to be reassured that they'll have that information in their hands so they know where the child is going so they can get ready for that and busing of course is a big one as well, right? Cause you know that's going tolook a little bit different," he said.

The new Riverview East School was supposed to replace the aging Gunningsville and Lower Coverdaleschools in September, with room to house 650 students.

But the Department of Education and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure informed the school district that "due to delays in construction, work will continue beyond the beginning of September."

Inside incomplete

Ingersoll said the outside of the $21.6-million school, locatedoff the Old Coach Road, is finished, but the inside still needs a lot of work.

"The details is what takes a lot of time and I think, again, if there had just been one or two little things, they probably might have said, 'Look, if you give us one more week maybe we can get it done, or maybe we can do it in the evening when the kids aren't there,'" he said.

"But I think there's just so many things, so many issues that aren't quite to where they want them to be, that they justfeel it's best that we don't occupy the building until they get those things caught up."

A new opening date for the schoolhas not been set by the provincial government.

The provincial government held a sod-turning event in August 2012.