Bids invited for contract to build new €9 million Laois school

Builders have been invited to put their names in the hat for the contract to build a new home for the Kolbe Special School in Portlaoise.

In what is another step closer to the long overdue relocation, developers have been told that the value of the contract for the project is estimated at nearly €8.7 million excluding VAT.

The school has planning permission to build a news single-storey building, approximately 2500 m2, at a greenfield site at Block Road in the Laois county town.

Works will include construction of eight general classrooms, a GP Hall, specialist educational spaces, administration areas, circulation areas, and other ancillary accommodation.

The project will also involve the provision of new vehicular/pedestrian site entrances, mini-bus drop-off spaces, car drop-off areas, car-parking spaces, bicycle parking spaces, new fencing and boundary treatment around entire site, a bin store, external play, sports and educational areas, landscaped external areas and all associated site development works.

A shortlist of eight developers will be drawn up from which the successful bidder will be chosen. The school say construction will take 18 months.

Designs for the purpose built school for children with severe disabilities were unveiled to the public in June 2021. It will have capacity for 48 pupils and located on HSE owned land between the present school and the Cuisle Centre, with the build funded by the Department of Education.

Laois County Council granted planning permission in early 2022 to the project which has been in the pipeline for many years. The school is heavily dependent on prefabs at present with conditions cramped and some rooms used for storage.

The Kolbe School specifically caters for children (age 4-18) within the severe to profound learning disability spectrum and/or autism. There are 41 pupils in the school at present.

The Laois Association of Parents & Friends of the Mentally Handicapped established the service in 1978. The original premises was situated in Portlaoise and moved to Ballyroan.

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In 1983 the services moved from Ballyroan to a purpose built building on the Block Road, Portlaoise where it was given the name “Kolbe Centre”.

The name Kolbe is derived from a Roman Catholic Priest, Fr Maximilian Kolbe a polish priest who gave his life in Auschwitz to save the life of another. 

The Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary Services became responsible for the Management of Kolbe Centre in 1992 from the Parents and Friends. 

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Since 2000 the Department of Education and Science became responsible after which it became known as the Kolbe Special School.