$2,800,000 Grant for Multipurpose Facility

The Sacred Heart Parish, Murwillumbah was advised on Tuesday 29th March, 2011 that Mt St Patrick College had received $2.8 million from the Australian Government for the construction of a Multipurpose Facility. It is expected that the building will cost between $4.5 to $5 million, of which the Parish is required to contribute $1.15 million and pay interest on funding provided by the Diocese. The grant is wonderful news for the College after so many years of hoping for such a facility. It means our students will have access to facilities of a high standard especially after the opening in 2011 of the $2.009 million St Mary of the Cross Science and Language Centre. In some ways, the Multipurpose Facility will mean that our current facilities are now ‘complete’ if such a thing is possible in a constantly changing educational environment.
The new Multipurpose Facility will be located on the Basketball Court area and will be connected to the St Mary of the Cross Science and Language Centre to allow ease of access to the rest of the College. It will include: a full size indoor Basketball Court; Drama Facilities including a stage used as a performance space, storage facilities and student change rooms; PDHPE facilities including shower and change rooms, fitness area and storage area; two classrooms; a kitchenette; a foyer large enough to be used as a classroom and a large undercover basement area. Two outdoor Basketball Courts are also included in the project.  A Development Application was submitted to Tweed Shire Council in December, 2010 and we are still waiting approval.   We hope that should approval will be given within the next month, construction may start in October, 2011 and should be completed in eight months. Hopefully, during Term 3, 2012, we will be using our new Multipurpose Facility.
 
I will like to acknowledge Fr David Gilbey, Parish Priest of the Sacred Heart Parish, for his tremendous support of this project and of the College. Since his appointment to Murwillumbah in July 2008, Father has been prepared to investigate the possibility of such a project and initiated a preliminary Cost Assessment Analysis. It is because of his willingness to accept responsibility for the debt, on behalf of the Parish, that the College will have this much needed facility in 2012. On behalf of the College, I thank Father David most sincerely.