Nearly 200 students will be moved to accommodate the Heartland Transmission project.
The decision to close Colchester School was a sad one, a spokesperson with Responsible Electricity Transmission for Albertans says.
“We made the pitch repeatedly,” John Kristensen told CTV News regarding the group’s request to have the line put underground.
“We got very strong support from our local Strathcona County council but out PC government, provincial government, really insisted this line be built above ground and it be built here.”
Kristensen said the students would be bussed over the Fultonvale Elementary Junior High School about 10 kilometers away.
“They won’t even be part of the regular school,” he said explaining the students would be taught in modular classrooms.
“The Alberta government is busy telling us they need to build a whole bunch of brand new schools because the youth and children population is increasing in the province. At the same time we’re needlessly closing this very good and well maintained school,” Kristensen said.
Colchester was home to students in Kindergarten to Grade 6. It is expected to close at the end of this school year.
