Edmonton Catholic Schools has purchased the 50th Street Atria Building (9405-50 St) to provide centralized Division administrative services. We will be consolidating six administrative sites into one location, bringing together more than 300 ECSD employees under one roof.
"By relocating our Division office and consolidating administration buildings, we anticipate a savings of at least one million dollars per year for the next ten years. It is money that can be redirected into our classrooms and schools," said Chief Superintendent Robert Martin.
Built in 1980, the new Lumen Christi Catholic Education Centre will serve as a common space for the Division and allow for collaborative opportunities and better workflow. The building includes easy access, ample parking for all staff and visitors, and will accommodate future growth.
The total cost is between $15 and $17 million, which includes purchase, renovation, relocation, and operating costs during renovation.
At the March 24 Public Meeting of the Board, administration will recommend approval to sell our current administration sites to reduce operations and maintenance and deferred costs, as well as to build-up our capital reserves.
Edmonton Catholic Schools plans to be operating out of the building by Fall of 2022.
Quick Facts:
- The 50th Street Atria was purchased for $9,800,000; the building has an appraised value of $30,000,000 (2016).
- It will be called the Lumen Christi Catholic Education Centre.
- The building size is 189,536 square feet.
Why is the Project called Our Common Home?
In May of 2015, our Holy Father Pope Francis wrote the encyclical Laudato Si' - On Care for Our Common Home. In his letter, the Pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environment degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take "swift and unified action".
While addressing the environment directly, the encyclical's scope is broader as it considers not only our effect on the environment, but also the many philosophical, theological, and cultural causes that threaten the relationships of people to nature and to each other in various circumstances.
Edmonton Catholic School's decision to consolidate our centralized services into an educational hub is rooted in the principles of Laudato si'. It reflects responsible stewardship of our resources, a commitment to decrease our physical and carbon footprint, and the unification of our administrative communities with an eye to ensuring that the monetary resources intended for students are making it to classrooms instead of supporting old, inefficient, and crumbling infrastructure.
