Historic day as Colaiste na hInse contract signed

The contract to build the new Colaiste na hInse in Laytown has been signed by the Department of Education and Elliott Sammon Construction Ltd. The Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Mary Coughlan, last week visited Laytown for the contract signing for the new 1,000 student facility between the contractors and Meath Vocational Education Committee (VEC). Elliott Sammon Construction Ltd is a joint venture between Cavan-based P Elliott Construction Ltd, and Sammon Contracting Group Ltd, Kilcock. A project manager, Leading Edge Project Directors, has been appointed to oversee the project on behalf of County Meath VEC. Unlike traditional projects, with a design and build project planning permission is only applied for after the contract is awarded. The new 8,109 square metre school, together with a 523 square metre special needs unit, will provide 1,000 student places when completed. Coláiste na hInse will be located on the same site as Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa, the €7 million 24-classroom primary school handed over by the Department earlier this year. "The new school will be of enormous benefit not only to today's students, but also to the future generations that will be educated here and to the wider community," Ms Coughlan said. "It also represents an investment of millions of euro into the local economy and will permanently transform the educational infrastructure of Laytown for the better. I would like to compliment all those who had the vision and ambition to stick with this project. This is a very exciting day for Meath and Laytown in particular." The Tanaiste pointed out that the Government continues to make substantial investment in education with more than €86 million having been directed into capital projects in Meath since 2007. Investment of €579 million in this year's school building programme demonstrated the Government's desire to continue investing in the productive capacity of the economy, to create construction jobs and to provide schoolchildren and teachers with the best educational environment in which to learn and work, she added. Peter Kierans, CEO of County Meath VEC, welcomed the development of Coláiste na hInse as the ninth post-primary school run by the VEC and he assured everyone that it would become a focal point for community activity in the area. He complimented the inspirational leadership of the principal, Anne Marie McCarrick, and the deputy principal, Helen Loftus. Fianna Fail TD for Meath East, Thomas Byrne, welcomed the historic development for the Laytown area and complimented Meath VEC on their great work in getting the project to this stage. He said that Stamullen families are among those that will benefit from the new 1,000-student Coláiste na hInse. He added: "This new school will be of huge benefit to the local area, including Stamullen, where many of the pupils will be from. I would like to pay tribute to the board of management, the teachers and wider community who I worked with over several years to secure this project. I am delighted to see it come to fruition and I look forward to seeing the work on the site begin." Ms McCarrick said she looked forward to the completion of the school and expressed her satisfaction with the excellent temporary facilities that they had in the interim. The school has been based for the last couple of years at the former Neptune beach Hotel premises in the centre of Bettystown.