Minutes:
Tom Micklewright is the contracts manager and is responsible for the £18m PFI contract to modernize and extend the North school. He explained how the contract worked and that the first stage will
be completed by the 1st September when landscaping and lighting will then begin.
Q. You are aware of residents complaints particularly relating to the contract lorries turning up ridiculously early in the morning or when pupils are arriving or leaving the school and yet nothing is done.
A. The issues have been raised with the contractors and will be raised again.
Q. Why are the gates opened at 5.00am. We should not have to put up with the noise and particularly the reversing noise of the lorries. Why can’t someone stop the lorries coming down the road that early? Signs are just ignored. I have never seen lorries or skips arriving very early turned away!
A. Mike Angell asked if residents had some thing to tell them who they could ring when they had a problem with contractors?
(18 months earlier there was a letter giving Dave Neil was a named contact but there had been nothing recently and complaints had been ignored).
Q. A resident said she had lived in Essella Road for 20 years and liked the new school but was not in the least happy with the contractors who had damaged her property and caused constant dirt on her car, and conservatory and she was unable to put washing out to dry. She was fed up with being woken up very early in the morning and the noise from contractors was driving her mad. There had been no offers of car and window cleaning, no news letters to keep residents up to date with work progress and no apologies for all the inconvenience.
Q. Another resident complained that scaffolding had collapsed on her fencing and contractors new fencing had narrowed her access.
A. Tom agreed to talk to residents are the meeting and take further details.
Q. Traffic management on the school site was already a problem but what will happen when the new car park is open and pupils and cars are leaving the school together.
A. The headteacher explained there were provisions and markings to enable both pupils and cars to enter and exit the school safely.
Q. With the current PFI contract if we young people want to use the sports facilities in the school our Youth Club has to pay £10k for insurance. We need a more agreeable arrangement so kids can use the new amenities.
A. KCC is looking at how we can get around that as we want the Youth Centre to use the school as soon as possible.
Q. Contractors have taken 10 feet of my access at the end of my garden.
A. Tom agreed to take details after the meeting.
Q. When will the work in the school be completed?
A. Hopefully by October 2008. There is still some new work to be done on the climbing wall.
Q. Is there going to be a 6thForm Centre in the school?
A. Yes we will move into post 16 education.
Q. Has the new school had any effect on the performance of pupils?
A. Yes the new school is amazing and has had a positive impact.
Q What sort of use after normal school hours will the building have?
A. The school will be open from 8am to 6pm and we are hoping
many community groups will want to use the facilities in the
evenings . They will be charged and once costs are met 60% of profits come back to KCC who give 85% of that back to the school.
Q. What about the rest of the land available on the school site?
A. No house builder is interested in KCC sites at this moment in time so there are no plans in the foreseeable future for further development. The school farm is safe and we will write to all residents if the position changes.
The Chairman thanked Tom and residents for their input.