Inside the $5.2m plan for Bayside Christian College
Bayside Christian College has been awarded $5.2 million for a multifunctional Petra Centre featuring science laboratories, robotics facilities and a mini-theatre.
The Queensland state government has given $5.2 million to Urraween’s Bayside Christian College for new specialist facilities.
Bayside Christian College applied for the funding after designing a “master plan” that would improve the senior school facilities to “accommodate for the growth we’ve got in the junior school,” college board chairman Brad Douglas said in a statement on Tuesday.
The school applied for the funding via a number of programs designed to ease the costs of capital projects for non-state schools.
An integral aspect of the masterplan is construction of a two-storey building called the Petra Centre.
The Petra Centre will operate as a multifunctional building and will include a cafe, mini-theatre, robotics and coding laboratory, common room spaces, three new science laboratories, visual arts space, an amphitheatre and general classrooms.
Bayside Christian College have been working with the Fraser Coast Baptist Church to purchase some of their land for the expansion.
College principal Brian Grimes said the acquisition of the land would be finalised on Friday.
“Constructions should start around May (2026), and we anticipate occupying the facility by September of 2027,” Mr Grimes said.
In addition to the $5.2 million, another $570,000 is being awarded for the construction of a car park on the grounds.
“We stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us and this development has been a long time coming and our community have waited patiently,” Mr Grims said.
LNP MP for Hervey Bay David Lee said:
“We are delighted to be able to provide capital assistance to a independent school like this. We know how important it is to have independent schools as part of the overall provision of education in our community.”
