The provincial government has officially given its stamp of approval for a new Catholic Central Secondary School in Windsor.
The province has announce the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board can proceed to the tender stage of the project.
Director of Education Terry Lyons says the announcement is great news for the board along with students and staff at the school.
He says the process for a new Catholic Central High School has been going on for more than a decade.
Lyons says he's thrilled for the students.
"Our kids are going to be ecstatic," says Lyons. "This gives them an opportunity to be in a great new learning environment, gives them an opportunity to experience some of the things that other kids have experienced and gives us an opportunity as a board to help our community, to help our parents and our students move into a brand new school."
He says the board submitted its plans to the province in October.
"We were just waiting on this and we're just happy to get it and we really appreciate the ministry," he says. "It's a tough time going through COVID and everything else, it's not as normal, not everything is working as normal, the process has slowed down a bit but we're really really happy about their ability to get to our project."
In a release, Education Minister Stephen Lecce says "Today’s announcement is great news for students, educators and hard-working families in Windsor."
The $29.4-million school will include 938 spaces for secondary students.
It will be built at 2465 McDougall Street and 2400 Ouellette Avenue.
The current high school is located on Tecumseh Road East between McDougall and Howard Avenue.
According to the board, construction is expected to begin this summer and hopes to open the school for the 2022-2023 school year.