Community Action for Sandringham College group warns of asbestos
AN ACTION group is warning students and staff at a Bayside college are at risk of asbestos poisoning if nothing is done to replace crumbling buildings.
Inner South
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SANDRINGHAM College’s asbestos riddled campuses could be a danger to students and staff, a newly formed action group has warned.
Community Action for Sandringham College (CASC) believes a radical overhaul of the school’s ageing facilities is needed immediately and has mobilised to secure funding for urgent upgrades and rebuilds of the school’s 50s era buildings.
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According to the group, no significant spending has been made at the Holloway Rd and Bluff Rd campuses “for at least 30 years”.
It wants an ambitious $65-70 million to restore two heritage listed buildings, demolish and rebuild a number of other buildings and fast track the refurbishment of the Holloway Rd campus library.
It also wants a “significant upgrade” of the school’s “unusable” oval and “hopeless” gymnasiums.
Group spokeswoman Kylie Fennessy said the “patch up” maintenance going on at many of the buildings was akin to “throwing good money at bad”.
“It’s like applying lipstick to a rotting pig, the buildings are beyond repair, they just need to be demolished and rebuilt,” Ms Fennessy said.
“Holloway Rd is the worst, the rusty roof is leaking water so they installed a timber beam just to stop it caving in.
“The asbestos eaves are not a problem now but I fear they will be dangerous to the kids and teachers, especially when the roof caves in.”
The group, which is “100 per cent backed by the college”, has already mobilised a groundswell of support for its campaign.
It presented a 3000 plus strong petition to outgoing Sandringham Liberal MP Murray Thompson.
Liberal Candidate for Sandringham Brad Rowswell committed $50,000 towards the development of a masterplan after taking a tour of the college’s “dilapidated buildings”.
“For the sake of future generations, I will continue to lobby hard for funding to make this plan a reality,” he said.
Other major parties, including Labor and the Greens, have yet to name candidates for Sandringham in the upcoming November State Election.
Ms Fennessy said the group didn’t care who paid for the work as long as it was done.
“(Principal) Amy Porter is doing an amazing job leading some of the best quality professionals in the state and we just want to ensure they have the facilities they deserve,” she said.
“We have kids from all over Melbourne who want to attend because it has such a great reputation and such a great inclusive culture.
“Right now they’re making lemonade with lemons so we have to start yelling loudly for them.”
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