An elementary school in Hawkesbury will be expanding.

The conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario (CEPEO), which is the French-language public school board, is planning a major addition to École élémentaire publique Nouvel Horizon, which is located next to the Robert Hartley Sports Complex, behind the town hall.

The CEPEO is planning to add nine new classrooms to the school in two stages and will expand the size of the daycare facility located at the school.

On April 27, Hawkesbury town council approved the school expansion plan, but the town is asking the CEPEO to construct a new entrance road for the school from its parking lot directly to Higginson Street next to the town hall.  Vehicle access to the school is presently by the road leading from Cartier Boulevard by the OPP station to the sports complex and staff parking area for the town hall.  Traffic on the current access road has increased and the condition of the pavement has deteriorated due to repeated use by heavy school buses, so the town has decided to require the school board to build its own access road for Nouvel Horizon.  Under the amended site plan agreement for the school property, the town is requiring the CEPEO to construct the new access road within the next five years.

The CEPEO is still awaiting approval from the Ministry of Education before the expansion project at Novel Horizon can go to tender.  Once ministry approval is granted, the CEPEO will then establish a work schedule for the project.

According to its 2019-2020 budget, the CEPEO has estimated that the construction project at École élémentaire publique Nouvel Horizon in Hawkesbury will cost $4,273,819.  Out of that amount, $2,773,819 will be funded by the Ministry of Education.  However, a Town of Hawkesbury Planning Department report from May 29 states the value of the project is $3,682,000.  The report also states that the town is awaiting the CEPEO to sign the new site plan agreement for the school property.

Subdivision

The Place de la Station subdivision project in Hawkesbury is getting closer to being realized.  According to Hawkesbury Planner Manon Belle-Isle, the project has been approved by the town, but it is now awaiting final plans from the developer before the subdivision agreement can be completed.  The subdivision request was first made in 2013.  The value of the project, according to the Planning Department, is $7,200,000 based on the market value of the property for the 24-lot subdivision.

Relocation site plan still needs approval

Laplante Chevrolet is still planning to relocate from Main Street at the west end of Hawkesbury to a new location on Tupper Street by Highway 17.  Belle-Isle said that the Planning Department is still awaiting the approval of the Site Plan Application, and then the project must be reviewed.  Belle-Isle said that no information was available on when the business plans to move.