Discover Moose Jaw is counting down the top 15 stories of 2020 and at number 11 is the new joint-use school in the Westheath subdivision on South Hill.

A motion was passed during a special in-camera executive committee meeting on Jan. 30 allow the school divisions to market and facilitate development on 34 acres of land worth $2.5 million. It went to a revote during city council of Feb. 10 and passed 6-1 with Coun. Crystal Froese opposed.

The land is in the Westheath phase five and six subdivisions, which the city had planned to develop.

The amalgamated school would only need 10 acres.

An Expression of Interest of put out on May 4 and only one proposal came back. That proposal was reviewed by the school division, the Ministry of Education and the city and deemed it to not meet the criteria of the Expression of Interest.

With that, the Praire South and Holy Trinity school divisions, the city and the Ministry of Education entered into a Memorandum of Understanding in early September.

Shortly after entering into the agreement, Premier Scott Moe was in Moose Jaw to officially announce the provincially funded schools.

"This was an ambitious project no doubt. Four older schools, Sacred Heart, St. Mary, Empire and Westmount were to be consolidated into one $50 million joint-use school facility and today we know where this school is going to be built, right here in Westheath," Moe said in his announcement.

Moe went on to say that the new school will truly be a community effort.

"Students, teachers, families, they will all be consulted in the design and the ultimate construction of this facility. We want to make sure this new facility will meet the needs of Moose Jaw when it opens in the fall of 2023 and will meet those needs decades after that."

Mayor Fraser Tolmie was also in attendance at the announcement and said the new school wouldn't be possible without all organizations working together towards a common goal.

"This announcement today is a culmination of what collaboration can do. Two school boards collaborating and working together, recognizing the needs of combining two schools under one roof. That those two school boards, municipal government, the City of Moose Jaw, and the province of Saskatchewan can work together to ensure we provide education for generations to come"

Derek Hassen, board chair for Holy Trinity Catholic School Division, and Robert Bachmann, board chair for Prairie South School Division, spoke about the upcoming project that day.

Bachmann said the new school has been a long time coming.

"The journey to this point at times has felt long. However, today is one big step along that roadway. At the end of this road is a 21st century school that will meet the educational needs of Prairie South students and families from southern Moose Jaw for decades to come."

Hassen echoed the comments that the announcement was a positive step forward.

"We are thrilled to be taking this next step in the construction of a new school on South Hill. This is a project that has been in the works for many, many years and we are so happy to see it come together."

Finally, in late November another hurdle was cleared. A traffic assessment report showed that mitigating measure could be taken to minimize the impact on the neighbourhood.