Scroll down to see pictures from our Geothermal install in progress at kidsLINK.

New $1.3 million kidsLINK centre in St. Agatha boasts energy-saving features

kidsLINK staff members Terry Smith and Laura Bergeron observe the construction of the group’s new school. The $1.3 million building was built in Grimsby then assembled last week in St. Agatha into classrooms for children with academic, social, or emotional issues

Scott Cressman, Independent staff
Published on Nov 24, 2010

 kidsLINK assembled its new school in St. Agatha last week, piece by piece, in just a few days.  The agency, which helps children with mental and social needs, gained a new $1.3 million school almost overnight. kidsLINK chose to replace its small 40-year-old school portables with a new, pre-made modular building.

“The staff and the kids are all very excited,” said Laura Bergeron, an interim program manager.
The building was constructed off-site to reduce the disruption for 25 children who live in the St. Agatha residences. It began arriving in parts on Nov. 15, pulled by 18 tractor trailers from Grimsby, Ont. Once in St. Agatha, construction teams put the pieces together on concrete foundations.

“The last week has been phenomenal,” said Terry Smith, kidsLINK’s chief financial and operating officer.

The building looks finished on the outside, but the rooms still need interior work before students can return in January.

The old portables had been around for decades past their expected expiry date, and were overdue for replacement, Smith said. “We were doing a lot of patching to keep them alive.”
kidsLINK offers counseling, treatment, and day programs for young people aged 0 to 18 with academic, social, and emotional challenges. The agency started 152 years ago as a Catholic orphanage.

The school provides a nurturing environment for 40 high-needs students aged 5-12, Bergeron said. Many of them need help dealing with trauma.

“They come to the school with a lot of challenges around academics, but also social and mental health issues,” she said.

The new school will have five classrooms. There will also be peaceful rooms for counseling, reflection, and Native Canadian smudging ceremonies, which involve aromatic smoke.

“It’s a safe place for them to work through an issue they’re experiencing,” Smith said.

The bigger classrooms will provide space to invite parents and community partners inside, Bergeron added. The school is now wheelchair accessible. It also has a new computer lab, library, and staff resource room.

“The new setting’s going to help us with the counseling side of things,” Bergeron said.  

The pre-made modular structure cost only a little more than a conventional building, Smith said, and should last just as long.

kidsLINK has also chosen other unique features for its new school. The heating and cooling system uses geothermal power from deep underground, and the hallways have “sky tunnels” which funnel and amplify natural light into the building.

The school’s energy costs should only be $1,200 to $1,400 per year, Smith said. Choosing to be environmentally friendly was the right choice for a socially-responsible group, he said.

“We’re very conscious of our environmental footprint,” he said. “It just made sense.”

Geothermal heating might cost more at first, but would pay back the investment through energy savings after 12 years, Smith said.

The federal and provincial governments will pay two thirds of the school’s $1.3 million construction costs through Canada’s Infrastructure Stimulus Fund.

kidsLINK has also received donations from Kitchener business Spaenaur and the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation. The agency is paying the rest with a mortgage, but also hoping for more donations.

http://www.newhamburgindependent.ca/news/article/224553