After nearly a decade of planning and fundraising, a ground breaking ceremony was held for a new St Joseph Elementary School Wednesday morning.

After graduation thousands of students over nearly 80 years, the $4.8 million St Joseph project will see a brand new school replace the existing facility in September.

"With more than 230 students attending this inner city Catholic school serving the 3,000 plus Catholic families in our area, with more students to follow, your plans to renovate and rebuild to house all the students under one roof are very impressive," Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran said at the ceremony. "They will be much appreciated by the school and faculty."

Builder Mike Jacobs offered a timeline for construction.

"The actual excavation is scheduled for June third and fourth," Jacobs said. "We'll dig a hole that's almost five feet deep here for the foundation. Brtico, our factory builder, has already started on eight of the modules in their Penticton factory. The concrete foundation will be constructed by the end of June, the 28 Brtico modules will arrive here starting on July eleventh, and will be craned into place over a ten day period. Concurrently the new foyer, which will be connected to the corner of Doyle Hall, will be built and the exterior finishes, new sidewalks, new classroom shelving, lockers, and cubbies will be completed in August, ready to open for school on Tuesday, September sixth."