Time in a bottle M.V. Beattie School cornerstone holds unexpected surprise By Melanie Franner When Dan Horochuk, capital projects coordinator for School District 83, took on the role of overseeing the new construction of the M.V. Beattie School in Enderby, B.C., little did he know that it would turn out to be a project with an interesting twist. But, as is fitting for a project that would be the last in his illustrious career, Horochuk took it all in stride and helped make a little history in the process.
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Ops Talk • Spring 2013
A New Beginning Construction on the new M.V. Beattie School began in May 2010. The building was ready for occupancy in December 2011 and the official grand-opening took place in January 2012. It was an exciting event – made all the more interesting by the fact that demolition of the existing school had brought with it some unexpected news. “The demolition contractor who was
working on the site knew that we wanted to save the cornerstone of the old building and use it in the new building,” says Horochuk. “The crew took out the cornerstone very gingerly because they didn’t want to wreck it. That’s when they suspected that it wasn’t quite what it seemed.” Carl Cooper, principal at the M.V. Beattie School, happened to be on-site at the time and was called over for his opinion.
