In January 2010 a published NSW Government e-tendering document clearly stated that a construction company had received an estimated $11.73 million, multi-stage, two and a half year contract to upgrade Casino Public School, in keeping with its heritage-listed buildings.
This is confirmed in the Casino Public School 2010 Annual School Report:
Principal’s message
There were many highlights to the 2010 school year at Casino Public School.
The Major Capital Works program commenced with the construction of new buildings including: the first stage of R Block(two classrooms), T Block (a Support Unit with four classrooms), S Block (a library and a cultural room). R and S Blocks were funded from the Building an Education Revolution (BER) program. All other works will be funded by major capital works funding from the NSW Department of Education and Training. It is anticipated that these state of the art facilities will be available for use early in Term 1 2011. The program of building and refurbishment will continue in 2011 and is due for completion in 2012. The excellent communication and cooperation between Asset Management, Department of Commerce, the school, Woollam Constructions staff and their subcontractors has been a contributing factor to the success of the program.
Not content with attempting to fudge the level of the O’Farrell Government’s contribution to Grafton and Maclean Hospital upgrades, the Nationals candidate in the Clarence by-election, Chris Gulaptis, is obviously aiming for a trifecta.
With a glossy campaign leaflet mail-out which attempts to pass off $3.7 million allocated to the Casino Public School upgrade as one of the Nationals March 2011 election commitments delivered freely and, not what it is in reality, money to cover a staged payment which is part of an existing building contract sealed before the Coalition came to government.
The O’Farrell Government’s 2011-12 budget papers give the game away by referring to the $3.7 million as Continued major building projects at Casino Public School or as the then Nationals MP for Clarence Steve Cansdell put it $3.7 million has been allocated to complete the upgrade of Casino Public School.
One wonders why Gulaptis keeps repeating those tired old 2007 bad habits, until catching sight of one of the good ole boys who have come north to help him out in 2011…….
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