A small construction job is underway at Penticton Secondary School to close off a hiding place that prompted safety concerns.
Workers are pouring a new concrete wall near the auto shop that will create more storage space and also eliminate a small alcove.
Okanagan Skaha School District superintendent Wendy Hyer said the hideaway became a hangout for drug users and at least one homeless person, “so it was a safety issue for our kids.”
“When they designed the building, it was obviously an oversight to have that nook and cranny, so it’s just putting a wall up there to eliminate that, but also address the needs of the shop classes that needed some storage,” Hyer said.
School district secretary-treasurer Ron Shongrunden was not immediately able to provide an exact figure, but said the work will cost about $300,000.