Autumn start for work at Marshes school site

WORK is to finally start on the new 1,000 student LMETB school at the Marshes site in Dundalk in October after the project was given the last needed green light by the Department of Education with children expected to be behind their desks by 2018.

And the announcement of the start of the building phase of the Colaiste Chu Chulainn project, which is estimated to be worth around €20 million, is the final act by outgoing CEO of the Louth Meath Education and Training Board, Peter Kierans, who retires at the end of this week.

Mr Kierans, who also announced the on site phase of a €6 million building programme at Scoil Ui Mhiri in Dunleer, says he is delighted that the much-delayed Dundalk project is finally going to get underway.

He told the Argus: ‘Work is due to start in October and we have, at last, the final approval for the work from the Department of Education last week. The project went to tender earlier this summer with around ten companies from the North and South of Ireland putting in tenders for the work. I have to say there was great interest in the job.

‘We go through the tenders very carefully to ensure that all the project is included by the contractors and we have our quantity surveyors (QS) McGahon Surveyors from Dundalk look over them too. Their report goes to the department who then go through a process of checking it all but the final approval has been made.

‘We are not in a position yet to announce the contractors, but those who won the tender, and the others who didn’t, have been informed. There is a statutory period where there is time given to the unsuccessful contractors to appeal the decision and after this period, which is between eight to ten weeks, the work can begin’.

Mr Kierans said the successful contractor ‘is a very reputable firm from the South of Ireland who have a lot of experience working on projects like these and we have worked with them in the past and they have been very professional’.

There is a 20 month build time and Mr Kierans revealed that the total cost of the project, including fit-out, is €20 million. When the school is finished, it will be among the most advanced and pupil-centred in Ireland.

Before that, Colaiste Chu Chulainn’s 220 students will be accommodated at the vacated old Marist College at St Mary’s Road, while the 90 Irish speaking pupils at Colaiste Lu will stay in Chapel Street.

Mr Kierans, who retires later this week, says he will be keeping a close eye on the construction work at the Marshes site and revealed how staff had presented him with a beech tree ‘ to look after for two years and which we will plant at the new school when it’s finished’.