WORK on Bathurst High School’s new $7.4 million gymnasium has been disrupted after asbestos was found on the site.
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Parents at the school were delivered the news in a text message from principal Geoff Hastings late yesterday.
The text simply read: “Notice to parents: asbestos found in new gym site. No risk to students. Material secured.”
Parents were then directed to the school’s website for further information.
Work on the new gymnasium only started last month with a special sod-turning ceremony attended by Mr Hastings, Member for Bathurst Paul Toole, Denison College of Secondary Education principal Craig Petersen, Public Works project director James Smith and Hines Constructions managing director David Hines.
A letter to parents published on the school’s website says the asbestos was found well below ground level.
“The asbestos was under one metre of soil and we think it is left over from the demolition of temporary buildings that were demolished about 30 years ago,” Mr Hastings said in the letter.
“It has been covered since by the soil and grass and as a result has not been a threat to anyone.
“The construction of the gym and the excavation has disturbed the material that had been buried.
“The advice provided by the site construction company and by officers of Public Works, who supervise the construction, is that the material is in the safest form of asbestos and it was contained when it was exposed due to its structure and the wetness of the soil during the past week.
“As a result it was not a risk to anyone on or near the site. Our students have not been at risk.”
Mr Hastings said properly qualified workers would remove the asbestos at the weekend.
He said the material had already been secured.
“There are monitoring stations being installed on all borders of the site that detect any asbestos in the air and the removal of material is being supervised by relevant authorities.
“The material will be removed on a weekend under strict environmental conditions so that normal school operations can continue.”
The new gym is expected to take 18 months to complete.
It will include a fitness laboratory, two classrooms, a seminar room and amenities, and a 380-seat performing arts centre with banked seating and state-of-the-art lighting.
The facility will meet energy efficiency requirements and support the development of the school curriculum.
Mr Hastings invited any parents who wanted to discuss the issue to contact him at the school on 6331 3755.
