“Oh my God.” Surrey school trustee Laurae McNally told us that was the first thing that went through her mind when she learned about yet another development in an already congested Clayton.
The 16-acre project would see 14 properties turned into 131 single family lots in the 18200- to 18400-block of 73rd Avenue.
This, in an area where infrastructure is so far behind growth, one school can’t even squeeze any more portables on the property. And good luck finding a place to park in the neighbourhood.
Clayton is just one of the many communities at the breaking point after bearing the brunt of Surrey’s grow-at-all costs strategy for years.
Indeed, when it comes to Surrey’s school crunch, things seem hopeless. But the situation might be even worse than anybody realizes. We’ve already reported that the district is expecting 1,000 new students.
But we’ve learned there may be even more.
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“Some of our secondary principals were just saying their staff were enrolling more kids than they originally thought, so it’s going to be very interesting,” McNally told us.
So where’s the mayor and council in all of this? Well so far, they’ve ignored McNally’s call to slow down growth. And what about Hepner’s promise to fight for a change in the way the province funds this city’s schools? The proposal is not quite ready, the city told us – summer vacations and such, you know.
It’s OK, take your time. Enjoy your holidays. It’s only our kids we’re talking about.
Enough excuses. Get this done.
The Now
