New Eureka School project faces delay

Disappointment that the new Eureka Secondary School was not included on the government's list of schools for construction in 2012 has been expressed by Cllr Sean Drew. The Kells school was not on the list recently published by the Department of Education and Skills of 56 major school building projects which are to advance to construction in 2012. "During October last year, following publication of the government's Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme, I noted that funding priority was to be given to the construction of new schools under the education programme. As a result, I put down a notice of motion at the Kells Town Council November meeting that was unanimously supported by my fellow town councillors. "The motion instructed the council to write to the Minister of Education and also the five Meath government TDs urging that the new Eureka School be funded and constructed under the government programme." When it was not included on the 2012 list, Cllr Drew said he contacted Senator Thomas Byrne and requested him to obtain from the minister an update of the current position. Senator Byrne raised the issue last week and Minister Ruairi Quinn responded by saying that a major project for the school was included on the list of projects on the work programme for 2011 where school accommodation projects briefs were to be formulated and the process of appointing a design team was to commence. He said the Department acquired a site circa 11.5 acre in Kells under the terms of the Redress Scheme for the new school. The architectural planning process was progressed during 2011 and a schedule of accommodation prepared on the basis of a long-term enrolment of 750 pupils. The school authority subsequently wrote to the Department requesting that the long-term enrolment be increased to 800 pupils and this was agreed. The minister said: "This warranted the completion of a revised educational worksheet by the school. The project can be progressed further and a revised schedule of accommodation can be drawn up as soon as this information is provided by the school." Cllr Drew said he was again seeking the support of the five government TDs in ensuring that the building of a new Eureka School for Kells remains a high priority. He said the objective should now be the inclusion of a new Eureka School in the government's next list of major school buildings to advance to construction in 2013.