As the December edition of The Valley Voice goes to print, Kangaroo Valley Preschool will be circulating information to the KV community relating to the ownership and repair of the existing preschool building and a proposed new lease agreement with the Department of Education (DoE).
Since the incorporation of Kangaroo Valley Preschool in the mid-70s, the preschool has operated on DoE land. In 1985 the Preschool was ‘gifted’ an old, dilapidated building from the DoE and since then has paid for the maintenance and upkeep of the building. A peppercorn rent lease was established between the preschool and DoE. This agreement has allowed our not-for-profit preschool to operate with low overheads, providing a continuous service to the community.
As some Valley Voice readers may recall, five years ago the preschool committee investigated the cause of a sloping floor and cracks forming between the main building and extensions. This investigation led to engineering reports on how best to mitigate the problem. Given the age of the building and that existing materials were considered undersized for commercial use, with identified repairs costing $140,000, the preschool committee obtained DA approval for the demolition of the existing building and construction of a purpose built preschool (DA20/2335).
Unfortunately, after two years of unsuccessfully sourcing grant funding for a new build, the preschool wishes to consult with the wider KV community on an offer from DoE. The existing offer would see DoE take ownership of the existing building, undertake repair of the subfloor and give the preschool a five-year lease agreement to continue operating on DoE land.
During the last week of November, the Preschool will circulate information through various community channels on the proposed offer from DoE. If you have not already received notification of the proposed changes to the ownership and repair of the existing preschool building, please contact the preschool by email on .preschoolkangaroovalley@gmail.com.
Thank you.
Brad Hawthorne
for the preschool committee
