Cartwright mayor sees 'light at the end of the tunnel' after new school announcement

The Labrador community of Cartwright will soon begin planning for a new school, something the town's mayor and a parent say is badly needed due to safety and accessibility concerns.

The 2022 provincial budget presented Thursday included planning for new schools in Cartwright, Portugal Cove-St. Philip's and St. John's.

Sonya Dyson and her husband, born and raised in Cartwright, are now raising their 15-year-old and 10-year-old children in their hometown, sending themto the Henry Gordon Academy.

Dyson is one of the community memberswho has been lobbying for a new school for years but discussionsstalled during the coronavirus pandemic, she said, so it was a surprise to see it in the budget.

"I was shocked and flabbergasted," Dyson said. "We just hope, we hope that it is not dragged out too long because it's long, long overdue."

Henry Gordon Academy was built in the 1960s. Mayor Robyn Holwell, whose mother was one of the first graduating students, said he was pleased to hear about the planto replace the aging building and its "number of issues."

"[It's] the kind of news that we've been waiting for for quite a while. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel now," Holwell said.

Among those problems, he said, is the school's location on a main road, prompting safety concerns. Parking is also a long-standing issue, he said, the school is inaccessible to people with disabilities, and it's larger than needed for its enrolment of 60-70 students.

A new school could be more energy-efficient and built on the same property, said Holwell, as there's a large space behind the school, moving the new one away from the road and alleviating safety and parking concerns.

Dyson said the current school doesn't have a cafeteria but a designated classroom for students to eat their lunches in. She said she hopes the new school will be one storey witha cafeteria, functioning kitchen and a trades area where children will learn life skills.

"Their education and learning in a safe, modern environment is just as important as anywhere in the province," Dyson said. "Our school might be old, but definitely our spirit is alive and well."

She does hope one thing stays the same: the presence of the Cartwright Public Library.

"They partner with the school," she said. "I'm hoping that a new building is going to keep the public library because it's something we don't want to lose. It's well used in our community."

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador