Push for €2M extension at Bailieborough CS
Management at Bailieborough Community School have requested a meeting with the Department of Education in the hope of progressing plans to develop close to €2 million worth of new accommodation.
The permanent multi-storey extension will include four general classrooms, bathroom facilities, and a range of specialist facilities such as a new multi-media room, labs and preparation areas.
It will adjoin the main school building to the existing, but separate, Special Educational Needs (SEN) unit on site. The additional accommodation will also allow the student population at Bailieborough Community School to grow by more than eighth.
Cavan Monaghan Fianna Fail TD, Niamh Smyth, a former student, says she was “thrilled” to receive notification of approval from Minister for Education Norma Foley, and is eager to see the project plans formally rubber stamped.
“The school right now is bursting at the seams,” says Deputy Smyth. “It has very much become a victim of its own success.”
Deputy Smyth credits the talent of teaching staff too, reminiscing on the teacher who inspired her to follow a career in the arts, before turning her hand to politics.
“Priscilla Gorman taught me art here. That was an inspiration for life. She has only recently retired but that is only one example of teachers who have worked tirelessly to encourage and nurture generations of young people in this area.”
The main school building is 40 years old this year and deputy principal, Fergal Kenny, believes it has certainly served its purpose.
“Hopefully now in the next few years we can have a new and modern school building that is fit for purpose, and one that the community here in Bailieborough can be proud of.”
School Principal, Martha Lievens, agrees. She thanked Cavan-Monaghan ETB, in particular CEO John Kearney, for their assistance in lobbying the department for investment. She thanked the wider community also for their support and patience.
Given that most projects take between two and three years from conception to realisation, Ms Lievens is hopeful a new school can be delivered by 2025 at the latest.
“It will create a whole new entrance to the school building,” she says, with plans for further investment in a new sports hall and other facilities at a later stage.
“We’re very happy with the vision that the architect has, and this is shared and supported by the Board of Management here also. We are at the stage where phase one has to be submitted to the Department for approval and we would be hopeful this will happen soon.”