The public school board has received the go-ahead to begin building a new high school in Barrie’s rapidly growing southeast end.

That means it could open in September 2020, several years behind schedule in a high-growth area due to a variety of delays, but board officials have yet to place any timeline on the project.

After many years in the making, the Simcoe County District School Board has received a building permit from the City of Barrie to build a much-needed secondary school near Mapleview Drive East and Prince William Way.

The school board’s building permit was issued June 19, which allows them to finally begin work at the site.

“Now they are able to move forward with their site alterations,” Andrea Bourrie, the city’s planning director, said at this week’s city council meeting. “We do expect that will happen any time now.

“As you know, they were very anxious to get started so they will be in a position to open their school in a couple of years time,” she added.

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However, school board officials are reluctant to toss around too many dates, such as ground-breaking and an expected opening date, until they speak to the contractor.

“We’ve asked the contractor to provide us with an updated construction schedule,” Brian Jeffs, the school board’s superintendent of business and facility services, told BarrieToday. “Until we see that schedule, I won’t speculate on any of the milestones you’ve listed.

“I can say that we anticipate the contractor to begin massing on-site immediately,” Jeffs added.

On Saturday, a solitary dump truck was parked on the site.

Various dates have been mentioned over the years for a possible opening, including September 2016, September 2018 and, most recently, September 2019.

However, both the school board and the city see the granting of the building permit as a major step forward in what has been a difficult relationship.

“Having the building permit allows us to begin construction,” Jeffs said. “From that perspective, it’s a significant hurdle.”

At city council, the ward councillor was equally pleased.

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