I have held urgent talks to ensure that the expansion project for Craughwell National School moves ahead without further delay.
I met this week with the school’s Board of Management and the architectural team from the Office of Public Works that is responsible for designing the project.
The full project consists of a two-storey extension of 1,628m² to the existing school that will replace prefab classrooms.
It will include eight classrooms, a general purpose sports hall, a multi-purpose room, offices for administration and the principal, a lift, toilets, car parking and a drop-off and pick-up area.
Planning permission was obtained in May 2018 but since then there has been no progress in bringing the project to tender.
After a very frank meeting with the architectural team from the OPW, the OPW has committed to progressing the project to tender stage this year.
They have further undertaken to produce a programme of works so that progress can be monitored by the Board of Management on a monthly basis from now on.
I expressed my disappointment at the lack of progress at the meeting but I am now confident that progress will made and that Craughwell National School will now receive the full attention it deserves.
The project will also include badly needed refurbishment works to the existing school.
There have been years of frustration bringing the school to the planning stage. Now we can bring the project to tender.
When completed, Craughwell will have a state of the art modern learning centre for its national school children.