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DISCUSSIONS are continuing in the development of the plans for Seymour’s Regeneration project, which will see four government schools merge.
Seymour East Primary School, Seymour Primary School, Seymour Special School and Seymour Technical High School have been busily working together with architects and other representatives to develop the final plans.
Proving to be a difficult task, changes have been made to the plans along the way to ensure the needs of all four schools are met and that the new buildings will suit the needs of the community.
While changes have already been made to the most recent Masterplan maps established last month, the main plans remain the same. These include demolition and rebuilding of most of the school, apart from the recently opened Performing Arts Centre and the stadium.
While some community members feel there was not enough consultation undertaken regarding the demolition of the school, particularly the hall, Seymour Technical High School Principal Tim McCartin said the plans were on display for a week in May where people had the opportunity to come in and see them.
He has also spent some time speaking to community groups about the changes, including Seymour U3A and various Rotary Clubs, most recently in Kilmore.
The Review received a letter from a Seymour resident who said that while his objection did not seek to stop the Regeneration of Seymour’s schools, he felt that there was a "lack of genuine consultation" with the community regarding the loss of the hall.
"Those who are questioning [the hall] loss will verify that our community has not had adequate input into a design, which will see the hall demolished," the letter said.
Member for McEwen Fran Bailey also feels that the community consultation has not been thorough enough to go ahead with the current plans.
"The community wants to make an effective contribution to plans. They must be allowed to put the local community’s perspective on any changes to the structure of education in Seymour," she said.
She added that local residents were concerned that in the haste to meet impractical timelines set by the State and Federal governments, facilities would be lost to the community.
However, Seymour Technical High School Principal Tim McCartin said that the 35-year-old hall would most likely have asbestos in the building and is in the way of the overall Masterplan.
"No decisions are made lightly," he said.
The new school will be built in three stages, with stage one comprising a games hall, science wing, prep to grade four area and the administration building. The total cost for this stage is estimated to be $11 million.
The school was granted $1.97 million for the new science wing through the Federal Governments’ Building the Education Revolution scheme and will be the first part of the Regeneration Project.
The project is yet to go to tender, so a starting date still needs to be confirmed.
Local MP Ben Hardman visited the school in September to announce the government would be giving the school a further $10 million towards the Regeneration project.
Other stages of the plan include construction of a new technology trade centre for VET courses, new buildings for all year levels and a food technology wing, as well as facilities for the Special School, including a hydrotherapy pool.
Mr McCartin also said the architects were looking at integrating a kinder and maternal health service on the same site.
The project, which could cost more than $30 million and take up to seven years to complete, will cater to around 1000 students – 640 secondary, 400 primary and 60 Special School students.
"For Seymour this truly is Regeneration," Mr McCartin said.
Not only will the Regeneration project see the school change physically, Mr McCartin said it will also bring changes to the teaching methods.
"There will be a variety of flexible practices and more team work," he said.
With far more learning environments and modern teaching methods, a lot of work will be done with teacher training, he added.
Janet Gill Kirkman, Region Network Leader for the Hume Region from the Department of Education, said that Regeneration in Seymour is a great opportunity to ensure "every child has every opportunity to experience high quality education in state of the art facilities."