Steinbach MLA and Education and Training Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced that the Manitoba government is celebrating the opening of a new gym and fitness room at W.C. Miller Collegiate in Altona to improve student safety and meet standard requirements for sporting events.
“These new facilities create a safer space for students and provides the school with more opportunities to host events,” said Goertzen. “We are making investments in education by increasing capital funding by more than $56 million this year to support structural repairs, roof replacements, new mechanical systems and accessibility projects for kindergarten to Grade 12 schools across Manitoba.”
The project addressed concerns with the former gym, as undersized side and end zones restricted areas of play and caused safety concerns for students playing high-intensity sports. Change rooms and storage rooms in the basement did not meet accessibility standards.
At 6,500 square feet, the new gym gives staff and students a larger area for sports and events, with nearby change rooms, storage rooms and office space. The new 1,000-sq.-ft. fitness room is located next to the gym.
“Border Land School Division and W.C. Miller are thrilled with the new learning space that has been created,” said Krista Curry, superintendent/CEO, Border Land School Division. “It is a bright, welcoming, state-of-the-art facility that is being used before and after school for fitness clubs and during the day, students have quality learning space for physical education classes. We are pleased that this facility will also enable W.C. Miller to bid to host future provincial athletic events.”
The minister noted this was a successful partnership project where the province provided $4.5 million in funding and the community contributed an additional $2.1 million, for a total budget of $6.6 million.
W.C. Miller Collegiate serves approximately 390 students from grades 9 to 12. The school was constructed in 1965, with an addition in 1975. It is the only high school in the Altona area and serves students from Altona, Gretna and Rosenfeld.
