Contractors asked not to tender to refurbish controversial Westport school

REPRESENTATIVES of firms seeking to refurbish a controversial Westport school site have been asked not to tender for the project.

Holy Trinity NS were to occupy the old Scoil Phádraig permanently after the site was signed over to them by the Sister of Mercy. In March, the Department of Education allocated the building to the nearby Sacred Heart School (SHS) due to an ‘urgent’ need for temporary accommodation.

Holy Trinity NS are currently using a building deemed not fit for purpose while SHS, an all-girls secondary school, are using modular accommodation as classrooms on their grounds.

Eoin Holmes and Lesley Emerson, who are against the school being used as temporary accommodation for SHS, have asked site visitors not to seek tenders when they visited Scoil Phádraig last Tuesday.

Mr Holmes and Ms Emerson offered leaflets outlining their grievances to people who visited the site last Tuesday afternoon.

Over 150 people attended a recent demonstration in support of Holy Trinity NS where staff and students marched through Westport to Scoil Phádraig.

Local politicians and Holy Trinity NS representatives have demanded that the department reverse the decision to offer Scoil Phádraig as temporary accommodation to SHS.

It is understood that the refurbishment of the school building as temporary accommodation will cost over €4 million.

This will involve refurbishing the existing ten standard classrooms for use as classrooms.

The general purpose hall will be subdivided to form two classrooms and a temporary science laboratory while an administration office, staff room and new lift will be located off the main entrance foyer.

Three resource rooms, two on the ground floor and one on the first floor, have also been proposed.

It has not been specified exactly how long SHS will occupy with building, which is currently at Stage 2a (Developed Sketch Scheme).

‘Fully committed’

The Department of Education has said it is ‘fully committed’ to the project.

“The Department’s position is that the use of the Scoil Phádraig building on a temporary basis by the Sacred Heart School, together with the delivery of significant permanent school building projects for Holy Trinity NS, Sacred Heart School and Westport ETNS, represents the best overall solution for the children of Westport,” a department spokesperson told The Mayo News.

The old Scoil Phádraig building has attracted anti-social behaviour since being vacated several years ago and is in considerable disrepair.

Speaking at last Monday’s meeting of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District, local county councillor Brendan Mulroy reiterated his criticism of Minister of Education Norma Foley, saying she had ‘gone missing’ on the issue.

“This is proper tragedy in a lot of ways because not alone is Holy Trinity being totally disenfranchised, in all fairness, the Sacred Heart School in Westport, the students, and the teachers, they deserve a brand new school on a green field site,” he said.