No holiday for new school

Primary site: Leongatha Primary School principal Rob Higgins (right) and Education Department regional director of major projects Don Paproth, discuss plans for the new school.

By Jane Ross

WORK starts on construction of the new Leongatha Primary School next week.
The $9.4 million project is due for completion in November 2010, with students expected to move in at the start of 2011.
Primary School principal Rob Higgins is delighted.
“We’re land locked where we are,” he said.
The new primary school will be built on part of the 55 acre Leongatha Secondary College, as a neighbour to the new South Gippsland Specialist School.
Like that building, most of the primary school will sit atop a bank overlooking the main secondary college oval, which will become a shared sports and play area.
When the building is finished, the primary school will just have to cross Horn Street to move in.
Education Department Gippsland region major projects director Don Paproth, said Melbourne firm W. P. Constructions would build the new school. Using South Gippsland sub contractors is part of its brief.
The new primary school represents stage two of the Leongatha Education Precinct which, when it is finished, is expected to provide education from kindergarten to university.
It is the second such precinct in Gippsland; the first is in Churchill. Stage four, a new TAFE building, has been underway for about three months. That project is costing $7 million.
Standing on a secondary college basketball court overlooking the site of the new primary school yesterday afternoon, Mr Paproth and Mr Higgins agreed the precinct is an exciting innovation and will represent a major drawcard for Leongatha.
The primary school will comprise Grades Three, Four, Five and Six in a building overlooking the oval, with a new shared library and performing arts centre incorporating a canteen and home economics area.
The performing arts centre will seat 250 and include a recording studio.
“It is unusual for a primary school to have access to a theatrette and home economics facilities,” said Mr Paproth.
Mesley Hall will remain as a community resource.
The Prep, Grade One and Two classrooms will be built where a playground now sits on Nerrena Road. It is envisaged that a kindergarten could be added in the future.
Mr Higgins said the school is being built to cater for its 570 students, but there will be room for expansion should this be
necessary.
Mr Paproth pointed out that the Leongatha Primary School is the biggest in Gippsland, ahead of Sale and Warragul North.
He explained that as stage three of the precinct, the new Leongatha Secondary College is built, the two sections of the primary school will become unified by the removal of old secondary college buildings.
The new secondary college has not been funded yet, but Mr Paproth said permission has been granted to go to design stage.
He heads a board, formed in 2004, to plan the precinct. Representatives include the primary, secondary and specialist schools, South Gippsland Shire, South Gippsland LLEN, TAFE, adult education and Murray Goulburn.
Mr Paproth commended newly-retired Leongatha Secondary College principal Colin Boyd, with giving the precinct impetus.

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Posted by Chris Brown on Sep 22 2009. Filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry