School's in at Egmont Village

By Leon Gray-Lockhart
AFTER nearly 18 months of planning and building, newly built facilities at Egmont Village Primary were officially opened at a special ceremony on Monday, April 6.
Students, teachers, parents and other supporters were all in attendance and the ceremony began with a performance of 'Nga Waka' by the school's Kapa Haka group.
This was followed by a welcome by Board of Trustees chair, Rex Passau, who outlined the history of the school, from its humble beginnings in 1877, through the transformations and extensions that occurred in the 1950s and 1980s and onto some of the details of the recent extension project.
"About the time I was elected to the board in 2007, the school received a letter from the Ministry of Education (MOE) approving the majority funding for extension work," said Rex, "so it was a great start for the new board."
With a combination of MOE and capital works funding to the tune of $557,000, the school invited expressions of interest for the work, eventually accepting a design that Jackson's Architects had developed.
"We went and looked at some of the work that they had done on other schools and were sold on the concept for our school."
The largest of the developments at Egmont Village was the building of a new administration block, including a new open plan reception area, principal's office, medical room and new resource and withdrawal rooms.
An entirely new staff room was also built, as well as a new library and a covered passageway connecting the new offices to the school hall, classrooms and staffroom.
Within classrooms, new lining was put on the walls, a number of new resource cupboards and cloakrooms built and access ramps added to classroom entances.
The Home and School Committee also organised new plant beds around the school's outdoor eating area with plants and decorative stones donated by local businesses.
Building work was undertaken by building firm, Clelands, whom Rex also thanked in his speech.
"I'd also like to thank the staff of the school who carried on while all the building work was going on, and the parents and students who remained patient through the entire process."
"We have ended up with a great product, with these beautiful buildings now set to be here for many years to come," he said.
Bill Jackson of Jackson's Architects also made a speech in which he expressed his gratitude to the builders, the board, the staff and his appointed project manager, Glen Robinson.
"I would also like to add my thanks to Clelands who kept disruptions around the school to a minimum," said Raewyn Rutherford, principal of the school.
The final speech was delivered by New Plymouth District deputy mayor, Alex Matheson who described the transformed school as 'the showcase for rural schools in Taranaki.'
"With its daffodils, painted poles and lovely playground, this is a wonderful, wonderful school," said Mr Matheson.
To finish the official celebrations, the youngest student of the school, Dylan Hall with help from the oldest, Mikayla George, cut a ribbon draped across the entrance to the new administration block. The students then enjoyed a sausage sizzle while guests enjoyed a generous morning tea.
For those involved with the developments, officially opening the school's new feature areas was the culmination of a great deal of time, effort and creativity.
"Throughout the building, we stuck to Bill Jackson's original vision," said project manager, Glen, "and we managed to do it within budget. Everybody on the team worked really well together."
The project presented challenges along the way including Egmont Village's notorious dampness and the extra health and safety requirements arising from working around children.
"We had to make sure we observed best practice as far as occupational safety and health was concerned, making sure that fire exits were kept clear at all times. We also had to be aware of noise - the builders did much of their noisy drilling work after school hours."
"Discovering the odd soak hole on site proved interesting for builders, as did the challenge of recycling old windows and making them seem new, but I think all those associated did an excellent job," said Glen.
Principal Raewyn is in total agreement, and couldn't be happier with how the new work has turned out.
"It's great to have most of the areas linked now, as it adds a nice sense of flow between them. The school is now a vibrant, well-equipped and beautiful place for us all," she said.