Lord Roberts Annex PAC New Coal Harbour School Q&A
(Update November 1, 2024)

The following is a compilation of information gathered by the Lord Robert Annex PAC, including meetings with Vancouver School Board (VSB) & BC Hydro on February 22, 2024 and Vancouver Park Board & VSB on March 8, 2024, October 17, 2024, and other communications.

1. Timing

Q: When will the new school open? UPDATED 10/24
A: The new K-7 school is on target for a September 2025 start. 

Q: The building is mixed-use (school, housing, daycare). Will phased occupancy be a possible (e.g. school opens before housing)?
A: The architect and contractor have advised that phased occupancy is likely not possible.

2. Grades/Catchment/Staffing

Q: What grades will the new Coal Harbour school accommodate on opening day? UPDATED 10/24
A: VSB is expecting K-7 at Fall 2025 start.

Q: Are there any anticipated changes to the catchment boundaries?
A: The West End is currently a shared catchment between the two schools (Lord Roberts Elementary and Coal Harbour School). No changes are planned for the current West End catchment boundaries at this time. VSB may look at new boundary areas at a later date.

Q: Will students currently enrolled in Lord Roberts Annex have priority for the New Coal Harbour School? as well as their siblings? Will students in Grade 4 who recently graduated from the Annex receive any priority? UPDATED 10/24

A: Students currently enrolled Lord Roberts Annex will have priority for enrolment at the new school at Coal Harbour. Students will have option to request a spot at Lord Roberts Main school, but availability at the main school is dependent on overall enrolment. 

Students will have opportunity to confirm preference to which school they would like students to attend. Wednesday, October 23, 2024, the VSB sent an email to families of students currently enrolled in Roberts Annex, with info and link to an online Survey Form to confirm preference. Families will need their child’s unique 9 digit VSB PEN number. There will be one submission per family. Submissions are required by November 12, 2024.

Q: Will siblings have priority in enrolment? NEW 10/24
A: The VSB will do their best to accommodate siblings together, but cannot guarantee it.

Q: Will all existing teachers and staff from Lord Robert Annex move to the New School?
A: VSB Response: Staffing will be handled by VSB HR.

3. New School Supports

Q: What school supports (e.g., new furniture, equipment) will be provided to the New Coal Harbour School. What will not be provided and would require fundraising efforts?
A: School will be equipped to VSB district standards. As for fundraising, the PAC will work with administrators and staff to determine what additional items may be needed. As we are moving from K-3 to a K-7 school, the library materials may be a consideration. There will be library funding from the VSB, but the PAC could look at raising funds to supplement the VSB funding.

Q: Are there plans or layouts of the new Coal Harbour Elementary available?
A: More information on the new school is available here. Drawings of the new school are available here. No new renderings or pictures are available.

4. New Coal Harbour School Playground and Outdoor Area

The original Coal Harbour Park playground equipment is sized for much younger children (approx. 2-6 years age) and the existing play surface is degraded and appears at end of life. The PAC has advocated for age-appropriate K-7 playground equipment for the new Coal Harbour school.

Q:  Is a playground replacement planned? UPDATED 10/24
A: VSB and the Parks Board have begun planning for and are negotiate the cost-sharing for age-appropriate playground upgrades and are in discussions with the Park Board about outdoor space safety and security improvements for the new Coal Harbour School. The VSB have noted both parties are working in good faith to make sure that the school and the community have what they need. The VSB has committed $195,000 for the park playground renewal, which is consistent with typical new school projects. The Parks Board has also committed some funds.

Q: Q: Will the playground at Coal Harbour Park, serve the dual purpose of playground for the New School at Coal Harbour, while remaining a Park Board-owned public park space, accessible by the public? Or will it be for school use only during school hours? NEW 10/24
A: The park  will remain a park board asset, and will have dual use by school and public.

Q: What is the anticipated overall budget for the project?  NEW 10/24
A:  VSB is working with Vancouver Park Board to determine cost estimates. It is unknown at this time when this information will be available and how the project will be managed.

Q: What are anticipated timelines for completion of the playground?  NEW 10/24
A: When the school opens in September 2025 there will not be an age-appropriate playground. Construction of a new playground is not likely to be able to happen until Summer 2025, at earliest.

Q: The PAC asked for details on a plan for physical security and separation measures to promote safety and security for the children at the New Coal Harbour School when playing outdoors. UPDATED 10/24
A: VSB and the Vancouver Park Board are meeting regularly to discuss provisions for site safety and supervision. Life Safety improvements, including new railings at the waterfront edge, will be complete before the school opens. A suitable physical barrier along Hastings Street is planned, but the extent of that fence is under review. Fencing will not be fully enclosed.

Q: Will there be opportunities for shared use of the Coal Harbour Community Centre, given the limited open space and outdoor play areas?
A: The Vancouver Park Board runs the Community Centre. There is not current planning between VSB and Vancouver Park Board for shared use of the Community Centre.

5. PAC Transition

Q: The PAC had requested VSB provide us with its recommendations and guidance, based on its past experience in similar contexts, on PAC transition considerations and a contact person or people who have worked on similar transitions at other schools. (School Act requires application to the board to establish a PAC for a school).
A: As the school is not closing – just moving, VSB suggests for PAC to do just do name change. The VSB additionally recommends the PAC ensure gaming grant paperwork complete

6. Childcare, Before and After School Care

Q: Will the VSOCC childcare offer priority spaces to siblings of students enrolled in the new school? (This was not done at Lord Nelson School and daycare in East Vancouver when the new school was built and the daycare had children from out of catchment, while the siblings of the school kids didn’t get in.)
A: VSOCC has been appointed as operator for the early years program. Construction is not expected to be completed until 2025.  Once a more definitive completion date is confirmed VSOCC will establish and communicate enrollment priorities.

Q: Will the YMCA before and after school care program offer priority to students currently enrolled in before and after care at Nelson Park YMCA (or Lord Roberts YMCA)?
A: Yes, they will. Further they will only be offering spaces to children enrolled at the Coal Harbour School. Families are welcome to join their waitlist now. If there are more families on the list than spaces, they will offer via lottery.

Q: Currently the Coal Harbour Community Center provides before care and after care for Lord Roberts Elementary school only. Will Coal Harbour Elementary be provided special registration for Coal Harbour students and how will parents be notified on registering their children for the before and after care? Will this also be provided before the move to the new school is made? For those who live in Coal Harbour will there be special registration priority to avoid us having to pick up and drop off our kids at Gordon Neighborhood House or West End Community Center?
A: For operational purposes, the Coal Harbour Community Center will not be expanding to the new school. Sometime ago, there was a thought to have the Coal Harbour program service the new Coal Harbour school, however since the program is full and continues to stay full, the Community Center has decided not to. If the program were to expand in size (that may be an option in the future) but currently there is no plan for expansion. The childcare and afterschool care programs are independent of the VSB work. VSB will make best effort to align school opening timelines with childcare opening timelines.

7. Travel to School Safety Concerns/Vision Zero

Q: Parents of students living in the West End have expressed safety concerns about students having to cross several busy streets (Robson, Alberni, Georgia, Pender) to access the new school. While we’ve seen engagement regarding the Bute Street Upgrades, what are planned improvements to ensure the safety of students walking, biking, or using other active transportation to access the new school? Will these planned upgrades be complete in advance of the opening date for the new school?
A: VSB is provided some dedicated bike lane improvements along Broughton and Hasting Street. Lord Roberts Annex PAC has requested VSB to forward details of extent of improvements. We are awaiting a response. VSB confirmed City of Vancouver is planning improvements to Bute Greenway and associated pedestrian/bike line. Details and timeline are not yet available. VSB will review options to use Crossing Guards for safe crossings.

Can VSB please provide information/updates? NEW 10/24
A: A series of improvements are planned to improve safety for people walking or biking to and from the new school.
For people walking: The City has initiated four signal upgrades and is proposing raised crosswalks in the vicinity of the new school. 
The four signal upgrades are designed to:
1.    prioritize pedestrian movement across busier streets; and/or
2.    give people more time to cross.

Details are contained in the table below:

A leading pedestrian interval is when pedestrians can enter the crosswalk before vehicles do. In other words, the “walk” signal comes on a few seconds before the “green light” does for vehicles. This allows pedestrians to better establish their presence in the crosswalk before vehicles can turn. This approach reduces the likelihood of conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians.

A slower walking speed means, simply, that the “walk” signal is shown for a longer period. This gives more time for slow walkers or larger groups to cross the street.
Three of the four signals have been set to the City of Vancouver’s signal shop for installation, with the fourth being specified now.

The raised crosswalks at W Hastings St at Broughton St, help:
•    make people crossing the street more visible to drivers, because they are raised up from the roadway; and
•    encourage motorists to slow down before they drive through the crosswalk, because the raised crosswalk acts like a speed hump.

The raised crosswalk next to the school is scheduled to be constructed before the school opens in September 2025.

For people biking (or using micro-mobility devices like e-scooters, e-bikes etc.). The City is proposing a protected bike route between Hornby Street and the Coal Harbour Seawall, connecting the new school to the city’s All Ages and Abilities (AAA) active transportation network.

This will provide a 0.9 km extension of the existing two-way protected bike lane along Dunsmuir and Melville Streets and passing the new school via W Hastings and Broughton Streets.

Further details can be found on board 7 the Dunsmuir-Melville Street Upgrades information boards: syc.vancouver.ca/projects/dunsmuir-melville-upgrades/dunsmuir-melville-information-boards-2024.pdf

In addition to protected lanes, the design proposes additional signal upgrades at various intersections along the route. These include protected turn phases for motor vehicles.

Protected turn phases are when vehicles are free to turn across the bike lane, without coming into contact with people cycling or walking across the street. In other words, people walking and cycling have a dedicated window (or, “phase”) to cross, which is separate from turning drivers. These protected turn phases help reduce the likelihood of conflicts between vehicles turning and people walking or cycling.

The bike lanes next to the school are scheduled to be constructed before the school opens in September 2025. Construction on the rest of the route is proposed to start in 2026.

Q: Will planned upgrades to Bute Greenway and associated pedestrian/bike line be complete in advance of the opening date for the new school? NEW 10/24
A: Once completed, the future Bute Greenway will prioritize walking, biking, and rolling, and link vibrant public spaces along Bute Street.  Design and construction of the Bute Greenway will happen in phases. Part of it is under construction now, but it will not be fully complete before the new school opens. 

The permanent Bute-Robson Plaza is the first segment of the greenway under construction now. Construction started in summer 2024 and completion is anticipated by end of 2025. Other segments of the greenway will follow. Planning and design work for the Bute Greenway “North Segment” (between Eihu Lane and W Pender Street) is in progress. Staff are currently evaluating priorities and developing design options for this segment. To support future delivery, the City is currently in dialogue with partners such as the Park Board. This will continue into 2025. A construction timeline has not yet been set. The City will engage communities and stakeholders on proposed designs prior to construction.

For progress updates on the Bute-Robson Plaza, including construction extent, visit: https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/bute-and-robson-plaza-construction.aspx.

More information: https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/bute-greenway [shapeyourcity.ca]. 

8. Lord Roberts Annex Replacement School

Q: What is the VSB's concrete commitment to building a school on the Annex site upon completion of the Hydro Project? UPDATED 10/24
A: Capital funding for the replacement school at the Annex site is approved.

Q: When is will the Hydro Project at Nelson Park require removal of the Lord Roberts Annex playground? NEW 10/24
A: BC Hydro project at the Lord Roberts Annex site isn’t scheduled to impact the playground until late 2027, so the playground is to remain open to the community until then.