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Boost for Peninsula Catholic school

Company offers site-clearing work for planned St. John Paul II Academy
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Contributed photo Peter Miller, Archbishop J. Michael Miller and Troy Van Vliet (centre) with members of the Miller family, the Tavan Group and school administrators at the announcement of the site-clearing donation for St. John Paul II Academy.

A new Catholic private high school planned for South Surrey has received a boost from a Delta-based construction firm.

JJM Construction Ltd., a leading civil and marine construction company owned by the Miller family, has committed to donate site-clearing work to the school, which will ultimately be located at 18230 24 Ave.

Named St. John Paul II Academy, the new school will open to an inaugural class of Grade 8 students in September 2018, operating out of temporary premises at White Rock’s Star of the Sea Community Centre until construction is complete.

The announcement was made Dec. 5 at the offices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Vancouver, where Archbishop J. Michael Miller (unrelated to the donors) commented the donation is “a wonderful contribution on the part of JJM Construction and the Miller family.”

Peter Miller, vice president of JJM, said there has been a “long-held need for a Catholic high school in the area and our family is delighted to be part of this initiative to make this new school a reality. And I am delighted knowing that my own children will benefit from this new school”

Preliminary site preparation work including brush-clearing and improved access has already begun at the site, according to Troy Van Vliet, who heads the Tavan Group of companies and is part of the academy’s working group dedicated to building the school.

“This work improves access to the property to allow for additional surveying work to take place as well as environmental and geotechnical work needed,” he said.

“Actual site excavation work is still down the road as we work to finalize architectural plans and obtain the necessary municipal approvals.

“The generosity of the Miller family and JJM Construction in making this donation is a tremendous vote of confidence in this initiative and gets us one steps closer to getting this school built.”