Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Asbestos find raised costs by £350,000
AN unexpected asbestos find at a Perthshire school has cost council chiefs £350,000.
The substance was discovered during an £8 million refurbishment of the Victorian-built Alyth Primary.
Work to remove the asbestos has delayed the project to June, an extra 10 months on top of the original completion date.
The council has stressed that, while the delay was regrettable, at no time were the pupils, staff or workers placed at risk.
This week, councillors will be told that money will be transferred from the council’s Modernising Primaries Programme to meet the costs.
A local authority spokesman said: “Following the discovery of additional asbestos at Alyth Primary School, significant work has been undertaken to have it removed together with the associated rebuilding work required.
“Consequently, the estimated cost of the upgrade project has increased by £350,000.”
The latest cost for the work is now just under £8 million.
The project to upgrade the building and add a new extension was approved by the council’s lifelong learning committee in January 2014.
A year later, the proposed designs were unveiled to the community at a drop-in session. Building got under way in January last year.
The council said school work and community activities will continue to be accommodated within the existing decant while the new facilities are being completed.
Alloa-based Marshall Construction won the contract for the work.
Meanwhile, construction is under way on new schools at Tulloch and Kinross.