General News
19 November, 2024
Grant supports Talbot PS
The Victorian Government has allocated over $550,000 to Talbot Primary School to maintain its historic front building, which has stood for over 150 years.
Funding for the project comes from the Victorian School Building Authority’s (VSBA) Planned Maintenance Program following a scheduled facility evaluation found a number of structural areas the department believe need to be addressed.
Maintenance on the building will include foundation improvements, roof works and window replace-ments.
According to Talbot Primary School principal Tess Kelly, the allocated funds are essential in allowing the general upkeep of the building to be completed.
“We are absolutely thrilled because several priority areas are just too big within our small school budget — there is no way we would be able to save or prioritise that amount of money to be able to fix what needs to be fixed,” she said.
“The back corner of the front building is where the foundations are sinking which is causing a lot of cracking and shifting.
“There is an outdoor stage that needs to be done and there are some beautiful wooden framed windows that need to be restored because they are at an age where they are breaking down.
“It’s a really old building so it’s not that the buildings haven’t been taken care of, it has been really well maintained over the more than 150 years it has been here.”
The works comes off the heels of another State Government funded project announced last December allocating $300,000 for the school to revamp its basketball courts.
The courts, slated to be surfaced with non-slip durable material and an all weather shelter, will mark the first playground upgrade at the school in over 20 years.
Ms Kelly said government funding ensures the school can continue to effectively nurture local students.
“It makes a difference to the feeling of the school to have the building fresh, clean, welcoming and inviting for everyone that comes in,” she said.
“The buildings have that historic feel to them but we want the parents to feel that we are delivering modern education and have the facilities needed to give the children the learning they need.
“Being able to have the same facilities as larger schools means that our students have equitable access to education.”
The VSBA is responsible for the contractors and the scheduling of the project, which is expected to be completed in the near future according to Ms Kelly.
“They have sent up people to do initial investigations, they have dug into the foundations, put cameras down there and investigated the tree roots,” she said.
“Because they are priority two defects, the expectation is they would be completed in the next six to 12 months which is pretty nice to think about.”