SASKATOON -- Tuesday’s announcement that planning and design is starting on the new joint school for three Saskatoon city centre communities offered some much needed good news for one of the members of the King George Community Association who worries about the future of the school at the centre of their neighbourhood.

The school will combine students from King George, Pleasant Hill and Princess Alexandra schools.

Premier Scott Moe was on hand today and indicated a location isn’t set in stone which was news to Karen Jensen.

“I was surprised and pleasantly surprised that the location of the new school isn’t a firmly set decision and that we still may have a voice to be heard,” Jensen told CTV News.

The premier offered hope to Jensen, who says her association sent out a survey in the summer to find out what the community wants to see happen when their school closes and the new school is built.

Ever since she heard the announcement to amalgamate the schools earlier this year, Jensen felt it was being pushed through.

“We’re worried that consultation sessions will be more of a delivery of information session so that certainly gives us hope that our voices will be heard.”

Princess Alexandra school on Avenue H, which was a proposed site, is not viewed as a great location according to Jensen.

“Having a location on the other side of 20th Street is no longer walkable for small kids. Having to cross a busy street and cross railroad tracks are all concerns that I’ve been hearing.”

But Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand feels this is an ideal location being within blocks of a youth facility.

“We have this opportunity to be so close to the White Buffalo Youth Lodge and enhancing those projects and make sure we are going to affect more people’s lives.

Meanwhile Jensen says, that survey sent out in the summer by the King George Community Association heard that their existing school site on Avenue K and 16th Street is the first choice to keep revitalization going in the area.

“Quite a few people who responded to the survey said they intended to send their kids to school at King George and that was a deciding factor to move into the neighbourhood.”

Five hundred students will attend the new school which is expected to be complete in 2022.