The Erina High Project:
water harvested for school, community and environment
In a joint venture between Gosford City Council (GCC) and the NSW Department of Education and Training (NSW DET), Erina High School grounds are being transformed for the benefit of school, community and environment.
Erina High School’s new sports fields drain freely in the wettest conditions
At the core of the Erina High project is a 2.6 million dollar reconstruction of the sporting complex that will see ‘state-of-the-art’ day and night facilities for students and the local sporting community. Two playing fields (one of which will be full size), a cricket wicket, amenities buildings, flood lighting, bush regeneration as part of a Bushland Management Plan, landscaping, and car parking are part of this provision.
Installation of drainage systems at Erina High sporting complex
The Joint Use Agreement (JUA) established between GCC and NSW DET in May 2008 set a benchmark in Recreation Planning. The first of its kind in NSW, it was designed as a blue print for other projects of the kind aimed at meeting the demand for community sport and recreation facilities and at fostering partnerships between government agencies, sporting associations and the local community. The JUA was a particular achievement for football clubs in Erina and surrounding suburbs, who have been lobbying for such a development since as far back as 2002.
Equally important is the commitment to environmental health implicit in the JUA. School programs will have a renewed emphasis on assessing resource use, minimising wastage, and restoring damaged ecosystems, within the school environs.
Natural vegetation along the Nunn’s Creek verges is being rejuvenated
Underground tanks able to store 500,000 litres of water harvested from the school stormwater catchment, buildings and grounds have been built into the new sporting complex. Irrigation of the new sporting fields will be possible without drawing upon town water supplies. It is estimated that this will reduce the use of town water by between 10 and 25 ML/yr.
Installing the 500,000 litre underground water tank
Students who take the Landscaping Interest elective have helped build and plant native garden areas in the grounds. A Bushland Management Plan has been developed to protect and revegetate areas along the Nunn’s Creek verges that bound the schools property.
Internal mixed gardens - the goal: shady, pleasant school grounds
The school’s double basketball court has been covered to create an Outdoor Learning Space (COLA) and shaded play area. Continuing tree and bush maintenance is carried out to ensure safety of students, longevity of shade trees, and reduce fire risk. Seating areas and gardens have been mulched.
All weather outdoor areas
New classroom learning activities have been developed with a focus on school water and energy use and management. Students recently used the occasion of Earth Hour as an opportunity to assess the effects on daily energy use of enforcing ‘power-off’ rules. The school’s computerised water-tracking system has been used in lessons to monitor water use and identify losses, leading to plumbing repairs and a reduction in wasteful water-use practices.
All this has been made possible by collaborative funding involving various levels of government as well as non-government organisations. The project is primarily funded by Gosford City Council (GCC) who are contributing $1,498,200 through Section 94 Funding and $200,000 through the 2008/09 Capital Works Budget. The Federal Government is contributing $900,000 through the $176 million dollar Better Regions Program as outlined in the 2008/09 Federal Budget. The remainder of the funds will be generated through Avoca Football Club's $40,000 commitment, the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation's Capital Assistance Program with $20,000, and a $20,000 contribution from the Erina Rugby League Football Club. As part of the Joint Use Agreement, GCC is constructing the car park, the amenities building and the sporting fields, and will manage and maintain the facility outside School hours.
The general concept of facilities developed and shared between two or more user groups is not new. Governments at all levels advocate that, wherever possible, tax-funded facilities be co-tenanted or available to a variety of organisations in the community. Property developers and managers must grapple with providing designs and structures that are truly multi-purpose; flexible enough to meet a broad range of needs. The use of publicly funded school grounds by the wider community during weekends and out-of-school hours aims to optimise the benefits flowing from these existing green spaces.
Once completed, Erina High School students will have exclusive use of the grounds between the hours of 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday (excluding school holidays) with the hours extended to 4.30 pm for two afternoons per week as agreed to from time to time. Outside school hours, the facilities will be available to sporting clubs and associations and other community groups through GCC for sporting, social, educational and cultural activities.
Secure fences and mulch promote the establishment of hardy plant life:
enough to withstand robust activity
The Erina High project, its Joint Use Agreement, and its funding arrangements provide a template for new community partnerships involving other public schools. Nevertheless such approaches do not come without potential downsides. Developing communities face the prospect of reduced public space, if school green spaces previously not included in the accounting of community facilities but nevertheless often available informally are now to be officially accounted in the open space allocation. Furthermore, for safety reasons and for the protection of expensive facilities, such revamped school grounds often require a higher level of management and security than previously might have been the case, perhaps detracting from the aesthetic and amenity value that such green spaces have traditionally provided. Schools, community representatives, and property developers will have to negotiate these issues carefully. That is what partnership is all about.