Bunbury school maintenance program to cost $340,000

8/4/94

The Education Department will spend more than $340,000 on an accelerated program of school maintenance in the Bunbury area in the next three months.

Education Minister Norman Moore said today this was part of the $5 million savings identified recently by the Cabinet Estimates Committee.

Mr Moore previously announced (on April 3) that the $5 million maintenance package would include about $700,000 for roof replacements at schools with ageing roofs.  These included Bridgetown Primary School, Wilson Park Primary School (Collie) and Waroona District High School.

Other priority projects were being identified by the department in consultation with the Building Management Authority, district offices and individual schools.

An estimated $158,000 would be spent in the Bunbury South Education School District on maintenance, including replacing gutters, ceilings, gas heaters and fibreglass sheets; upgrading toilet areas, new carpets, fencing and painting.

In the Bunbury North Education School District an estimated $188,000 would be spent on items which included repairing toilets, painting classrooms and lockers, and resealing bitumen playgrounds.

Mr Moore said the Government had inherited a massive backlog of maintenance problems within the school system and he was delighted that the estimates committee had been able to provide additional funds in this financial year.

Media contact:  Ross Storey 321 1444 / 222 9595