Heraklion: With 1.7 million euros, the old Academy is finished and a new special school is built (vid)

After several years and obstacles, he unblocks the… haunted project for the construction of the Unified Special Vocational Gymnasium-Lyceum of Heraklion, so that dozens of students who have been studying in containers for years can study in their new school, under dignified and humane conditions in the near future!

It is a school that faces several problems, while not meeting the specifications for the needs of children with special needs, who experience dramatic situations whenever the classrooms are flooded by heavy rains, with the images being typical of the dripping ceilings and the buckets next to the desks, as they had highlighted with extensive reporting by “New Crete” and neakriti.gr in January 2022. The wretched scene is completed by dampness on the walls, plasterboards that are in danger of falling, the various problems of poor workmanship and damage and not only that, with all the risks it entails for the safety of the students.

The mayor of Heraklion, Mr. Alexis Kalokairinos, signed a contract amounting to 962,499.59 euros, regarding the completion of the expropriation of a plot of land for the construction of the Unified Special Vocational Gymnasium-Lyceum, which will be created on an area of ​​7 acres in the area of ​​Deilina. The contract also includes the preparation of the necessary studies, as well as the issuance of the building permit.

The project, which is financed by the “Antonis Tritsis” program, was in danger of being excluded due to zero absorbency, as the mayor revealed

The project, which is financed by the “Antonis Tritsis” program, was in danger of being withdrawn due to zero absorption, as revealed by the mayor, who made great efforts to ensure that the funding was not lost, so that the project could be put on track for implementation.

“I believe that the actions taken by my partners and myself were lightning quick to ensure that this project goes ahead. You know, these are quite complex issues when it comes to expropriations with studies to get to a project. I think we are now on safe ground. As you can understand, it is a big project, which we have made an absolute priority and we are speeding it up, given that the existing facilities are not satisfactory and in any case it is a very sensitive issue, that of Special Education, to which we give high priority. Of course, we give priority to all issues of education in this city, which has so many children, so many students and which is really the community that donates blood to the Municipality as a whole”, said Mr. Alexis Kalokairinos.

Satisfaction from management

She expressed her satisfaction with the developments by speaking to “New Crete” and neakriti.gr the director of the Unified Special Vocational High School-Lyceum of Heraklion, Mrs. Elena Sakellari.

“The mayor of Heraklion seems determined to launch solutions, as through the contract he signed, the expropriation of the plot will be completed. I hope that the relevant procedures will “run”, said Mrs. Sakellari, who pointed out that students with special needs have been studying in containers for 16 years and under unacceptable conditions.

Apart from the maintenance work at the school that took place last September, the problems remain in the classrooms and other areas, as Ms. Sakellari told us.
This year, students belonging to vulnerable groups and facing multiple mobility and other problems…were lucky with the weather, as this winter was mild with little rainfall, meaning there was no repeat of the tragic images of previous years, with flooded halls and other alarming situations.

Many problems

In fact, Ms. Sakellari has pointed out several times to the competent department of the Municipality of Heraklion, that “the waterproofing of the polyurethane panels has failed in several parts of the joints, resulting in moisture in the plasterboards. Some of them have inflated and there is a risk of collapsing. Also, in the back rooms there is no rainwater runoff and drainage system, as a result of which there are stagnant waters that make it difficult and dangerous for students to move around.”

Apart from the small classrooms, there are also difficulties in taking care of the students (physical therapy, etc.), due to the lack of classrooms.

Another point that scares a breath away from the school is the large earthen volume, as there is no retaining wall in the event of an emergency, such as an earthquake, etc., as noted by the director of the Unified Special Vocational High School-Lyceum of Heraklion.

The second contract, in the amount of 768,800 euros, signed by Alexis Kalokairinos, concerned the strengthening of the building of the former Pedagogical Academy, the supply and installation of instrumental monitoring measures for earthquakes, information actions on earthquake protection, as well as the preparation of studies of existing school buildings.

“And the second contract also concerns projects that are educational and mainly the project of the school building that we call the Academy and houses elementary schools, a special kindergarten and a special elementary school. This, as you know, is a project that is ongoing and has had several problems, but it is currently on track so that the horizon for its completion is visible and in this case it is a supplementary funding, also coming from the programme. “Antonis Tritsis”, declared, among others, the mayor of Heraklion.

It is recalled that these are procedures that had been initiated by the previous municipal authority, with the contracts being signed, in the presence of the notary Nikis Gounari, at the Heraklion Municipal Court, with the representative of the Deposit and Loan Fund (as is done with the specific program), director of the Municipal Court Sofia Blavaki.

Both financing contracts signed by the mayor were for a total of 1.7 million euros, with the municipal authority giving particular importance to education issues.

As Mr. Kalokairinos pointed out, it is necessary to build new schools, while with regard to kindergartens and nurseries that operate in rented rooms, it is an issue that concerns the municipal authority, which aims, among other things, to utilize municipal property in this direction.