Public SD considering options for office | Daily Herald Tribune

Initial talks with the City of Grande Prairie had the new office envisioned as a multi-use residential and commercial development at the former York Hotel site at 100 Street and 101 Avenue but cost concerns and issues with the developers led to plans being scrapped.

“The two main reasons was the cost was too much and developers weren’t willing to come up with the money to fund, carry and manage the residential and commercial part,” said the district’s secretary treasurer Jeff Olson.

“We’ve got money we’ve saved and reserved to actually build our portion but with all the other portions, if there isn’t somebody willing to put the money in to develop that part, we can’t because we aren’t in that business. Our business is education.”

But while the original plan has fallen through, Olson says they still hope to have the new office building for GPPSD in the downtown core, either where the York Hotel once stood or at the former Germain Park site on 100 Avenue.

He will be presenting a proposal to the city where the current GPPSD building would be acquired by the City of Grande Prairie, which was also planned in the original negotiations with the city.

“Part of it will be a land swap and a purchase of our building for that land over there and we would go ahead and build,” said Olson. “I think the city see us as a big employer. We’re 895 to 1,000 employees and obviously have lots of students so it’s a good place to have in the centre of the city, revitalizing the core.”

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If downtown, the new building will likely have a brick façade to match other buildings in the area and will be about 22,000 square feet.

“When we talk about design, we have to make sure it’s the right size and meets our future needs but is also what we can afford,” said Olson.

But the former York Hotel location isn’t the only option for the new project.

“We’re also looking at other properties and opportunities to move in with existing properties, again trying to get the knowledge to do the negotiations of what it’s going to cost us and what we should be asking for when it comes to our building and land,” said Olson.

GPPSD has already reserved $1.6 million to pay for the project. They have requested bids for preliminary plans from five architecture firms they have dealt with in the past in the public schools. A request for proposal (RFP) will be done after the construction drawings.

“Preliminary drawings would provide us with around almost 50% complete drawings and it gives you a very good handle of how much the building should cost,” said Olson.

GPPSD hopes to break ground on the new building in spring of next year. Depending on the developer, the new central office building could be done in 2016, 12 to 18 months later.  

Source: http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com