Today, the Government of Alberta announced it has finalized contracts to design and construct four new high schools in Alberta, including a 750 student Grade 10-12 Catholic school in Terwillegar. Construction on the schools will break ground later this fall, and they will open for class in September 2013.

"These new schools will serve to inspire student learning and provide exciting environments for learning," said Minister of Education Dave Hancock in a news release. "Schools are the hub of thriving communities because they are meeting and gathering places for friends and neighbours. I'm pleased that we are closer to providing vibrant new learning environments in communities where students live."

Alberta Education is working with the school boards who will operate the schools to ensure that the designs include a strong connection to the local community.

At $96 million, the contract to build the four schools represents a substantial savings for taxpayers. The project was inititally budgeted at $140 million.

Edmonton-based firm Clark Builders will oversee construction, while Stantec Architecture, also an Edmonton company, will lead the design. Like all new government construction and modernization projects, the schools are being designed to the LEED Silver standard of environmental sustainability.

The construction of the four new high schools is the next step in phase 2 of the Alberta School Alternative Procurement (ASAP) initiative. This bundle of high schools uses a design-build approach that fast-tracks the development of these new schools so that they will completed months earlier than would be possible through traditional project management approaches. Preliminary design and site investigation work is already well underway.

You can find out more about ASAP II on Alberta Education's ASAP II New Schools Project webpage. The Edmonton Journal also has an article about the announcement entitled "$96.8M for four new Alberta schools".