New Camrose high school ready to go — but no road leads to it

Construction on a new high school in the central Alberta city of Camrose has finished well ahead of its planned September opening, but an unresolved dispute has left the building without utilities and paved access.

Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic High School, designed to serve 400 to 600 students in grades 9-12, is part of the Elk Island Catholic Schools Division.

The province has spent nearly $30 million to build the school in the city of 20,000, about 95 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.

The building is complete, with sidewalks, flag poles and a parking lot, but it lacks running water, electricity and paved access roads. 

Davin Wilcox has two children who are supposed to start at Blessed Carlo Acutis in the fall, but worries it might not be possible for the building to open on schedule.

"This issue is near and dear to my heart ... I'm a big proponent of Catholic education," Wilcox said. "This really made me upset."

In a message to parents last month, Elk Island Catholic Schools' superintendent Paul Corrigan said he was "deeply concerned that key issues regarding critical municipal infrastructure to service the school remain unresolved, which could impact the school's opening timeline."

Corrigan said an "impasse" between the city and the developer is preventing the school district from taking possession of the building.

Camgill Development Corporation and the City of Camrose have not reached an agreement on who is responsible for providing these services for the school.

WATCH | Camrose parents feel caught in the middle of a new school dispute:

Camrose city council held a meeting behind closed doors on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

In a statement to CBC after that meeting, Mayor PJ Stasko said he authorized another proposal to the province and the Elk Island Catholic board of trustees in hopes that "all parties can come to an agreement."

Camgill Development Corporation did not respond to CBC's request for a statement.

A statement from the office of Infrastructure Minister Martin Long said the province can't hand over the school to Elk Island Catholic to prepare it for opening until the city and the developer have reached an agreement.