Excitement is still fresh as local school officials process Thursday’s news of government funding for a new elementary school in Steinbach.

Hanover School Division’s Superintendent, for one, says she is thrilled.

“Absolutely this is exciting,” exclaims Shelley Amos. “Both in our office and for previous superintendents like Randy Dueck and Ken Klassen who have worked for plans on this in the past too. We are always very pleased when we have new capital projects come our way.”

Amos says her division purchased the property for the school in the west end of Steinbach back in 2017 but did not have any reason to expect funding would be coming this year. She describes her initial reaction as “surprised and, of course, very pleased.”

While the land itself was purchased in recent memory, Amos says the need for more room has been evident for much longer. Indeed, when she was hired the principal of Woodlawn Elementary School about a decade ago she says conversations on the matter were already underway.

There has not been a new elementary school built in Steinbach since Woodlawn came to be in the 1960s, yet the city’s population has grown considerably since then. Amos believes the new K-4 school will offer immense relief to the others which she says are bursting at the seams.

“At Southwood and Woodlawn in particular we have six or seven portable huts in use,” she remarks. “Those aren’t ideal and we would certainly like to have the bulk of our students in the main building. We are hoping this will remove the need for portables.”

The school would draw primarily from families living in the area surrounding the development, but Amos says it would likely pull some individuals from both overpopulated elementary schools, and potentially from Elmdale as well.

The new school will be positioned in the Parkhill Place development next to L. A. Barkman Park which, according to Amos, is ideal for a variety of reasons.

“That is a bustling and growing community where we see new houses going up by the week, it addresses the growth between Steinbach and Mitchell, and it is a beautiful area as there is the green space and park that our students will be able to utilize.”

Amos says the design phase is expected to take about a year and construction another two or three. That puts the building’s expected completion date sometime between late 2024 and early 2025.