Friday, 23 August 2013

New School Plans

I've just been to the Library to pay my Council Tax. I could do it online, but I want the "Library Plus" services to stay available in Hay, since we no longer have a Council Office with a full time member of staff, and the only way to ensure that happens is to use them.

While I was there, I had a look at the plans for the new school.

It's lovely that Powys County Council say how committed they are to excellence in new school buildings, and that they will be using the latest environmentally friendly methods in the building, such as PassivHous construction techniques.
They also want to put the Library in the same building, together with youth services, and community services for adults, along with a coffee bar. What bothers me is that they don't seem to have allowed much room for all these different functions to operate - there only seems to be the one room, which is the Library itself, and a small office for the Town Clerk. I hope that Library Plus would transfer over along with the Library, so I would still be able to access County Council services there?
But I wonder where the Town Council is supposed to meet if everything that takes place now at the Council Chambers is transferred down to the school? And what happens to the other groups that have offices in the Council Chambers, like Dial-a-Ride? And what happens to the existing Library building and community centre? None of this is mentioned on the display.

There was another chap looking at the plans while I was there, and he pointed out that the plans on the English side of the board were different to the plans on the Welsh side of the board (somehow teachers' desks seemed to have disappeared, and so had the children's area of the library). He said the plans on the County Council website were different again. He was concerned about the number of computer terminals available in the Library, since Universal Credit will only be available (when it is brought in) via computer and the only way some people will be able to apply will be through the computer at their library. He also noticed that there were six toilet cubicles between two classrooms (unisex) and only two cubicles and a disabled toilet between the other two classrooms for presumably the same number of children to use.
He didn't think there were enough fire exits, either.

So it all looks very nice, but there still seem to be some problems that need sorting out.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

My dear friend and teacher. I think about Rob every day, and will always miss him. He was indeed a true gentleman and a scholar.
Chris.