EAGLEHAWK North Primary School students and staff will have greater safety against bushfires, following a State Government grant.<\/p>\n
The school received $220,000 to go towards upgrading the shelter-in-place building, providing accommodation in emergencies.<\/p>\n
Principal Craig Burnett said the upgrades are essential.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really is an upgrade for the school and the safety of our kids and we\u2019re really excited about that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBushland around our school is absolutely wonderful but it comes right up to our school and it is a safety hazard in the January\/February time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were planning on even relocating the school on days of total fire ban, with this funding now we can stay here and be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Eaglehawk North\u2019s current shelter-in-place is a small art classroom, which Mr Burnett said is \u201cinadequate\u201d for the school\u2019s population.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a classroom size, about 10 by 15 meters and that was the space that was allocated to us at a time when things were done very quickly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a space where 340 kids in one classroom obviously isn\u2019t going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new shelter will be in the school\u2019s grade 5 and 6 building, with upgrades to the air conditioning and windows to stop embers getting inside.<\/p>\n
Last week, the State Government provided $10.4 million to 230 schools across Victoria as part of its Planned Maintenance Program.<\/p>\n
Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allen said ongoing maintenance is essential for local schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese projects are part of our overall efforts to build and invest new school buildings and we also know we need to keep up with the maintenance on the buildings we\u2019ve got,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Nearby, Eaglehawk Secondary College has received funding of $25,000 to address roof plumbing issues as part of the PMP.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
EAGLEHAWK North Primary School students and staff will have greater safety against bushfires, following a State Government grant. The school received $220,000 to go towards upgrading the shelter-in-place building, providing accommodation in emergencies. Principal Craig Burnett said the upgrades are essential. \u201cIt really is an upgrade for the school and the safety of our kids […]<\/p>\n