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education centre

February 2007, updated June 2007

On June 11, 2007, Calgary City Council unanimously approved the Calgary Board of Education’s land use application for the development of the new Education Centre on the former Dr. Carl Safran School site. Now our application goes into the development permit process, which includes building design and construction details. During this phase, there will be many opportunities for community input as we move forward. If all goes as planned, construction could begin as early as Spring 2008 with a targeted occupancy date of Spring 2010.

The current CBE Education Centre building is more than 40 years old. It has outlasted its usefulness and is not designed to meet the needs of a major, dynamic organization that guides Canada 's leading public school system in the country's fastest-growing city.

CBE employees need a new headquarters, one with a location and architecture that boldly proclaim the importance of education in the twenty-first century, while celebrating the storied history of our past.

The new Education Centre, to be located at 12 Ave SW and 8 th Street, will incorporate the best of old and new, fusing the site's historic elements with a modern design. The original sandstone building will be refurbished to its former grandeur, including a functional historic classroom. A new conference centre will replace the current gym building, with a link to the new office tower, which will house administration. The complex will be surrounded by an urban plaza with lots of green space. Actual design concepts, tower height, etc. have yet to be decided.

A part of our community engagement process, the Beltline Community Association hosted a Public Information Session on the Land Use Approval, in partnership with the CBE and The City of Calgary on February 15, 2007, to view the development plans.

Timelines

2007: Land Use Agreements, Development Permits, Community Consultation , Design Concepts

2008: Construction begins
2010 (Spring): Target For Occupancy

For questions or comments, email: newedcentre@cbe.ab.ca

Who's involved

Developer
Bentall Real Estate Services

Architect
Gibbs Gage Architects

Project manager
JRM Realty Advisors Ltd

Steering committee
Don Dart
Bev Hubert
John Drysdale
Barb Kuester
Calvin Davies
Rod Peden
Linda Angelo
Chantelle Wellock-Bolt
Paul Bowen
James Mitchelson

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Who will be in the building?
A. This has not been finalized. We are still looking at what groups logically belong together and belong centrally.

Q. Will there be parking for everyone in the building?
A. We will have three levels of underground parking, enough to accommodate up to 400 cars. Some of the parking will be designated for other tenants in the building and for public parking. The Board will have to make some policy decisions about who gets parking and at what cost. Obviously, for space reasons, not everyone can be accommodated. The site is on major Transit routes.

Q. What will the new building look like?
A. The complex will incorporate the restored historic portion of the project and add a new, modern design element to the Beltline neighborhood.

Q. What will happen to the current Ed Centre?
A. The existing Education Centre property will be sold at a later date and the proceeds used to help fund the new building.

The neighborhood: Beltline/Connaught - established 1905

As far back as 1893, Calgary city limits included the Connaught (Beltline) district, which encompassed the larger estates of prominent citizens such as Senator James Lougheed.Many of Calgary's "first" fine institutions - e.g., The Carnegie Library, public elementary, junior and senior high schools, Central Collegiate Institute (now Dr. Carl Safran School), Grace Presbyterian and First Baptist Churches were located here.

The (Beltline) community is the area closest to downtown, with a high population density of generally younger residents, many of whom walk into the downtown core. The Beltline is popular for its closeness to downtown as well as the many bars, restaurants, and shops. Connaught is the portion of the Beltline between 8th Street and 14th Street .

Calgary Board of Education, Calgary’s public school system
"Educating Tomorrow’s Citizens Today"

Content Moderator: Paul Bowen
Web Administrator: Laura Diemert
Last Modified: September 27, 2011