This article is from page 14 of the 2009-06-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
A MAJOR step has been taken by Ennis National School in securing the go-ahead for a new school after a 10 year struggle.
This follows the Ennis primary school securing planning permission to construct a new 32-class school building at Ashline on the Kilrush Rd — one kilometre from the current site.
School Board of Management member, Larry Brennan said that he hopes that the students will be enter- ing the new school building for the
2011-12 school year in September 2011. The granting of the permis- sion coincides with the retirement of school principal, Gary Stack who has fought for the new school over the past 10 years. A special mass and dinner was held over the weekend in Ennis to mark Mr Stack’s retirement after 28 years in the post.
Paying tribute yesterday to Mr Stack, chairman of the school board of management, David Casey said: “Under Gary, the school has had a unique ethos where pupils, staff, principal and parents have been one big happy family and for the person
who takes over, it will be a major challenge to keep that friendly open atmosphere.”
Mr Casey said that despite all the difficulties in seeking a new school, Gary never lost that the focus of his responsibilities was to the children of the school.
Mr Casey said that he was very happy that planning permission has been secured for the new school.
Larry Brennan said that the ten- ders on the design team for the new school are expected shortly.
Mr Brennan said that the design team will be in the unique position
of having a planning permission for a school.
He said that the Department of Education timetable provides for the construction of a school within four years of the appointment of a design team.
However, Mr Brennan said that he expects the timescale to be much shorter due to the work done already with the co-operation of Ennis par- ish and the Killaloe Diocesan Trust in securing planning permission.
Mr Brennan said that he expects the new school to be open by 2011.
The school has 17 prefabs strewn
throughout the grounds and the plan- ning application was lodged to fast- track plans.
In rezoning the site, the town coun- cil delivered a windfall to the Dio- cese of Killaloe two years ago by rezoning 85 acres of land where the diocese 1s proposing to construct 590 houses over time.
In June of last year, parents with- drew their students for one day last June to protest at the continuing fail- ure of the Department of Education to fund a new school building and 1,000 people took to the streets of Ennis in a march.