Building contractors appointed for new school 13/2/14
Robertson Construction has been appointed as contractors to build the new North Uist school.
The contract was awarded to one of the UK's largest privately owned construction companies, Willmott Dixon which work in partnership with Robertson’s in Scotland .
The new facility is earmarked to be completed by the summer of 2015.
Similar in design to Balivanich School, the new facility will accommodate around 75 children.
On Thursday night, councillors are due to agree to build the centralised school on the existing Paible School site on the west side of the island.
Carinish, Lochmaddy and Paible primary schools will close and pupils transferred to the new campus which will serve all of North Uist.
The changes have been agreed in principle and will be rubberstamped by the full council.
The contract was handled through the Scape National Contractor's framework which
is a fast-track central purchasing for the pubic sector body’,
The contractors promise to employ local businesses and people. Last year, the set-up
is said to have spent 60% of its project outgoings within 40 miles of the building
site and 87% within 60 miles.
Architects are 3D Reid who were the lead designers of the other new Western Isles schools and own the copyright of the design preferred by the council.
Final costs are yet to be firmed up but could be between £7 to £8.5 million. The council has earmarked £6.5 million from its own funds and anticipates getting £2 million from the Scottish Government.