2021 Updates - OPS Property Development

Property Update - This Week

• New Temporary Administration - As we indicated in previous communication, we are operating our ‘office’ from the new temporary admin block. This move has meant we have been able to identify and work through any problems prior to moving children and classes to the relocatable classrooms.

• Relocatable Classrooms - Work is ongoing on the new relocatable classrooms on the field. The room numbers will remain the same - for example Room 1 will still be called Room 1.

• We are now preparing to move out of the rest of the spaces in the admin block - Rooms 1-3, our ESOL room and offices along the corridor and the Library. Room 1, 2 and 3 are planned to move into the relocatable rooms on the field on Aug 12 and 13. This move will not occur unless we are satisfied that classes are able to operate smoothly and safely in the new rooms.

• New Toilet Block - A new temporary toilet block has been placed beside the admin block on the field. This is not yet operational.

• Our Field - We still have large areas of our field fenced off to keep construction areas totally separate from play areas. There are some areas fenced off so that grass can re-grow. These will be opened again as soon as we can. There have been several days this week where our field has been closed (as it always is at this time of the year) due to it being too wet and muddy for use. We are always reluctant to close our field, but have to balance children’s need to run around with safety, how wet and muddy they will get and any long term damage which might occur to the grass surface in the wet.

• Library - Our library is now closed for classes. We anticipate the library will not be available for class use for a month or two and have a couple of ideas about how we will get this up and running again as soon as we can. We are currently packing up all of our Library books to put into storage for what we hope will be a short period of time. It is a priority for us to have our library up and operational again as soon as possible.

• Asbestos Removal - Today we have sent a letter to all of our staff and OPS whānau about the removal of asbestos before demolition occurs. You can see a copy of this at the end of this newsletter. Please note that all work will be carried out by a licenced asbestos removal company. Work will occur out of school hours and on weekends.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. vholley@onehungaprimary.school.nz

Property next week…Week 3 - 9-13 August

Concrete paths - paths to our new classrooms and toilet block will be made in Week 4.

Room 1-3 move 12 and 13 August - this will occur only if all work is completed.

Property in Week 4 - 16 - 20 August

Transformer - The installation of a new larger capacity transformer will occur on August 16-18. Please look out for information about the impact on pedestrian traffic to school over those days in next week’s newsletter.

Site Handover - Our plan at this stage is to have handed over the building site to Watts and Hughs in Week 4. Hoardings will be erected around the site and some new fences and gates for access to our school and admin will be installed.

We will share information about how you come into school from Arthur Street next week.

As we shared on Facebook, our website and email sent before we came back last week, there has been a lot going on over the term break! You can find communications and updates we have given about our property developments in the ‘Property’ section of our website. This is updated regularly to ensure you have access to information when you need it.

If you have any questions about our property development and progress, please ask! While we try to anticipate what you might find interesting and important, we are happy to add further information if it is helpful! You are welcome to see me (Viki) or email me at vholley@onehungaprimary.school.nz

Now, is probably one of the busiest times in the property development process. We are juggling 3 separate worksites (the temp admin, the relocatable classrooms and the ‘enabling works’ (services, preparation for building).

At the same time work on detailed designs for stage 1 of our major build is underway and we have our school continuing to operate with learning, safety and wellbeing as extremely high priorities.

The image here shows both the new access to the temporary admin block and the area where demolition and stage 1 of our major build will occur.

Note the broken blue line shows the area which will be fenced off as the construction zone.

Hall Access - A new fenced walkway to our Hall has been installed and we will start using this soon. This means that we can still access and use the Hall safely.

Relocatable Classrooms - Relocatable classrooms (right of the image and labelled 1, 2, 3) are now on site. They could not be located in a line due to services which are buried under our field. We will move Room 1, 2 and 3 to these when they are ready for use.

Temporary Admin and Offices - While we were moved in and were operating for Monday this week, we continue to work through small issues to ensure a smooth operation of this area. We have identified some challenges which we could not imagine until we were actually ‘in’ the spaces and are working on plans to overcome them.

Demolition - One of the questions we have been asked about is the demolition work planned and how asbestos in the buildings will be managed. Over the term break work on an ‘Asbestos Removal Communication Plan’ started. More detail of this will be shared when finalised with OPS whānau and our immediate neighbours. Please be assured that this work will be carried out by a qualified asbestos removal contractor approved by the Ministry of Education. All asbestos removal work will be completed out of school hours and air monitoring at the work site boundary will be in place for the duration of the work. As mentioned above, please make contact if you have questions!

Stage 1 Design - We are in daily communication with Jasmax our architects as the detailed design process occurs. There are a multitude of small and large considerations and decisions to be made in this process. Like all building or renovation projects, whether they are residential, commercial or education the challenge is finding a balance between our dreams for our new spaces and budget! We continue to work very hard to get the best possible spaces for our school and community.

A number of ‘design workshops’ occurred over the break. One of these was focused on colours and finishes for the interior spaces. Staff were given the opportunity to be part of this group. We are taking inspiration from our natural environment for this and look forward to sharing plans with you soon.

Our next workshop is about exterior finishes. One of the considerations with this is the cost of ongoing maintenance. For example, while wooden exterior cladding might seem a preferable option, long term the maintenance cost of this would impact hugely on our school operating budget