Above: Car park contractor Rob Tribuzi on site during construction of the new car park at Pakenham Hills Primary School.
By Elizabeth Lillis
A LONG-awaited new car park at Pakenham Hills Primary School is due to be completed in time for start of the new school year next Wednesday.
The development of the car park should relieve traffic safety woes that have plagued the area on school days as the Pakenham community has grown.
Contractor Rob Tribuzi said the work was on schedule to be completed before the first day of the school year.
Cardinia Shire Council let the contract for works to Tribuzi Contractors to complete the works over the school holiday to minimise inconvenience to the school community.
Pakenham Hills Primary School’s principal, Dale Hendrick said the car park would improve traffic flows and safety around the school.
“It will make a big difference … it will make it much safer,” he said.
Traffic will move through the car park in one direction only.
Mr Hendrick said drivers should enter the car park travelling up Army Road from the direction of the Princes Highway and exit onto the roundabout at the intersection of Army Road and Leigh Drive and Kennedy Road.
Mr Hendrick said yesterday the kerbing and paving had been finished and only the sealing of the car park, and the bay and road markings had to be done to complete the works.
The State Government funded the development of the 20-bay car park, with two disabled bays, on the Army Road side of the school site.
Concerted efforts by concerned parents led by mother Patricia Harris, over several years paid off when funding was made available for the car park last December.
Negotiations took place for several years between Cardinia Shire Council and the State Government to have money allocated for the project.
The $161,562 car park project is being funded as a Student Safe Initiative.
Cardinia Shire Council provided support in kind by completing the design work for the car park and managing the project.
The State Government’s funding of the car park construction was on the condition that it was completed over the school holidays.
