Construction crews spent Wednesday erecting the walls of a new athletic centre for St. Thomas More Collegiate, Burnaby's independent Catholic school.
The new centre, measuring 27,000 square feet, is to replace the 50-year-old gym, which can no longer accommodate the growing student population.
"Our enrolment is now twice the size than when the school was first built," said STM's spokesperson Jenifer Jayme. "For today, for the first time ever, we'll be able to see the outer shell or the wall of the community."
The school community raised about $6.3 million for the new athletic centre, which includes a double gym and multi-purpose space.
"We're naming it the StanJean Athletic and Community Centre," Jayme said.
"We keep saying it's going to transform the gateway between Burnaby and New Westminster, right on Kingsway. ... This new building will be designed with the façade facing Kingsway. As you're entering Burnaby, it will be the first big thing you see."
The project should be finished in May or June of 2013. The school still needs to raise money - an estimated $1 million - to cover the costs of all the finishing touches.
