Asbestos is behind the delay to upgrading a school’s technical department.
The refurbishment at Kirkcudbright Academy had been due to be completed by the end of March this year.
However, schools property manager Larann Foss has admitted it is unlikely to be finished until next summer due to the complex nature of removing the harmful material.
Concern over the delay was expressed by Dee and Glenkens councillor Dougie Campbell at the council’s education committee.
He said: “I visited the school last year and I know that they were very much looking forward to the refurbishment of their technical department.
“I see there has been slippage in the last financial year to the tune of £261,000. When I look at the programme for 2023 to 2025 I can see that refurbishment investment is still there.
“What I’m concerned about is the impact the delay in the refurbishment of the technical classroom has on pupils at the school.”
Councillor Campbell asked for an indication of when things would move forward.
Mr Foss replied: “The delay is a timing issue in the level of work that has to take place in the school itself.
“We had hoped we would be able to use an Easter holiday period to deliver a huge chunk of that but we need to break it down into two sections now.
“There is a level of asbestos contained within the roof structure and to do that safely we need a period where it’s not occupied by the school, just because of how it has to be removed from the building down the stairwell.
“That will take place in the Easter holiday period next year. That will allow us the full summer period to strip out the existing home economics department’s rooms and then replace them.
“That’s one of the main reasons why it wasn’t possible in the summer holiday period.”
Mr Foss also said the existing department was still being used but admitted it was “dated and aged”, with the new set-up creating more opportunities for learning about hospitality.
