[fissureseal]

Anyone have any idea when the school building will start seeing the planning issues appear to be sorted or will it be like oranmore train station , always due to start in a month or two

[Sponge Bob]

Be open september next year I reckon. It took no time to build Scoil Dara.

[antoobrien]

Originally Posted by fissureseal

Anyone have any idea when the school building will start seeing the planning issues appear to be sorted or will it be like oranmore train station , always due to start in a month or two

The difference between this project and the oranmore train station is that oranmore was a sop to keep people quiet while there's no funding (which was well known when it was announced), whereas the schools program actually has funding.

[Caggles]

With regard to the bus corridor through Merlin Woods, there will be massive objections, this area is used by many people, families,groups,. It is place free from traffic and pollution, it is a beautiful quiet area which many people use. It is a crazy plan to bring a road through the woods. The bus corridor also runs alongside the new park and the kids playground, the bus corridor will have 200-300 buses in peak season, which is usual the time when kids are using the park all the time. The woods is also full of many different types of wildlife. It is a place which gets very little publicity and very little attention from the city council. A bus corridor may only be the beginning of the destruction of Merlin Woods but it will not be destroyed without a fight...

[Caggles]

Incidentally if your are fan of keeping our very bio-diverse wood and promoting its good qualities please check out Friends of Merlin Woods https://www.facebook.com/groups/128207273995064/ and keep an eye out for the website coming soon!!

[antoobrien]

Saw this on Galwaynews earlier, thought it worthy of an update.

CONSTRUCTION OF DOUGHISKA SCHOOLS TO GET UNDERWAY

Building work on two new schools in the city is expected to get underway within weeks following an investment from the European Investment Bank.

Around 200 jobs will be created during the construction of a 450 pupil primary school and a 650 pupil post primary school on a shared campus in Doughiska.

The schools are two of eight capital projects nationally that will benefit from a 50 million euro loan from the EIB, which will allow them to be delivered under the public private partnership model.

The Doughiska schools were earmarked for progression under the Department of Education and skillls five year school building programme earlier this year.

Galway West TD Brian Walsh says he's confident construction will get underway 'relatively soon'.

[fergiesfolly]

There was a meeting hosted by the Galway City VEC in the Clayton hotel a few weeks ago, about the new secondary school and they were very confident that the school would be built in time for the start of the 2013 school year.
I'm hoping that confidence is borne out,as we've enrolled our child there.
It looks like a fantastic campus for what its worth and will be a huge bonus for the area to have a primary and secondary school on their doorstep.
Its worth noting that the principal of Coláiste na Coiribe was at the meeting and pointed out that they've been waiting patiently for a purpose built home since they opened in 1992!!! So Doughiska isn't doing too bad in relative terms.

[galwaytt]

....it will not be open for Sept 2013 - the target date the contractors on the ground are working to is 2014.

[Mrs OBumble]

I've heard that the initial plan was to open with just one class - may be phase in plan for buildings.

[antoobrien]

Originally Posted by Mrs OBumble

I've heard that the initial plan was to open with just one class - may be phase in plan for buildings.

That's how it has been done in the past here. It's before my time but IIRC when the moneen opened up they opened for first years only, with extra classes being brought on stream over the next few years. My mother was attending Fr Griffins (GTI) at the time and she and one of her brothers finished there, while the younger two went to the moneen.

[galwaytt]

Originally Posted by Mrs OBumble

I've heard that the initial plan was to open with just one class - may be phase in plan for buildings.

...that might work in the 1970's - but opening one stream/class, in a 3-storey building, on a working building site ? H & S and litigation nightmare I'd have thought.

It might be they'll open the N.S before the Secondary, or vice-versa alright.

[Zzippy]

Whatever their deadline, they're working pretty damn hard in there - machinery going from 7am til after 6pm, even on Friday evenings. They were pouring concrete last week (presumably for foundations) which is incredibly fast, considering they only started on site about 3 weeks ago.. I would have thought groundworks to prepare the site for that stage would have taken a lot longer.

[xtradel]

It will only open for first year students. Thats what was said at the meeting that was held in the Clayton a few weeks back.

[Mrs OBumble]

And the national school is already open in pre-fabs at the other side of the park.

[Stevolende]

The paths being blocked so you can't get onto the park from the Amber House side of Doughiska road is a major pain. Is it legal if there are no warning signs up that the path is blocked?

I take it this is for a road into the school, though there is nothing up anywhere along the road to say anything about it. Wondered if they leafletted/sent letters to the residents of Tuir Uisce and whatever that estate at the back is, about it.

it is a major pain and walking to the estate at the back relies on going that route doesn't it?
Would think they would at least put up sign posts saying path blocked, so you didn't start down that path and then find your way blocked by orange netting or those flat bollards. They've now taken to trying to block that path completely. Is that not a public right of way anyway?
Maybe pedestrians really don't need to be considered? I wouldn't think that for a moment though.