Cool move for kinders

ALL of Casey’s kindergartens will have evaporative coolers installed by next summer.
Casey councillors voted at last week’s council meeting for money to be allocated in the 2007-08 budget to install the cooling systems in five more kindergartens.
Tooradin, Chalcot Lodge, Lynbrook, Strathaird and David Collins kindergartens are the only remaining kindergartens in Casey without air-conditioning. The announcement follows a motion at a council meeting last month that called for all new kindergartens to have evaporative coolers installed as part of a mandatory design process.
Deputy mayor Kevin Bradford raised the latest motion and said it was great news for all kindergarten staff and children in Casey.
Cr Bradford said the benefits of evaporative coolers would flow on to the many different users of each centre. He said there would also be major financial relief for kindergarten staff and volunteers.
“This should be a huge help to all committee of management run kindergartens,” Cr Bradford said. “A lot of their fundraising efforts go towards installing air-conditioners and now they will be able to allocate those funds somewhere else.”
A council officer said it could cost anywhere between $7000 to $10,000 for each evaporative cooler to be appropriately installed.