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Sabadell allocates 3.2 million to renovate 35 schools and remove fibrocement
Sabadell is preparing a new round of works in 35 public schools with 3.2 million euros from the Actualitza Escoles programme of the Generalitat. Most of the money will go towards removing fibrocement and renovating roofs, windows, and toilets, in a project presented a week before nearly 30,000 students return to class on 8 September.
The municipal plan provides for the removal of fibrocement elements in two schools and the replacement of roofs in another five. Among the schools where this intervention has been pending for years are Calvet d'Estrella and Pau Casals, which still have roofs made entirely of this material.
The 3.2 million will also allow for window replacements in three schools and the renovation of toilets in around thirty. In total, the actions will reach 35 public schools built before 2007 that meet the criteria established by the Departament d'Educació and have not subsequently undergone major renovations.
There is still no schedule for each school. The City Council wants to agree on priorities with each educational community before finalising the projects and will then have to process the corresponding tenders. In the case of fibrocement removal, the work will have to be carried out while the schools are empty, so the Christmas and summer periods are considered the most suitable times. The administrative deadline for using the funds runs until 2028.
This new allocation is in addition to the actions carried out over the past three years. The City Council puts the accumulated investment during the term in educational buildings and their surroundings at over 15 million euros; around 12 million corresponds to interventions already completed or underway, and the 3.2 million from Actualitza Escoles will allow the next phase to be tackled.
A significant part of the spending has been aimed at combating heat. Sabadell estimates that more than 5.6 million has gone to climate adaptation actions. Last school year, the installation of around 1,000 fans was completed in 453 spaces in about thirty nursery and primary schools, as well as three adult education centres, with an investment of over 570,000 euros.
In addition to these fans, awnings and shaded areas have been installed in more than 40 schools and nursery centres, for around 1.5 million. The City Council is also installing climate control in the 11 municipal nursery schools: Creu Alta, Can Llong and Joaquim Blume received equipment this summer, and the plan is to finish the rest before the end of the year.
The renovations are not limited to the inside of the schools. During the term, more than four million euros have been allocated to their surroundings, with pavement widening, new pedestrian crossings, speed reduction, and changes to signage. This summer, for example, saw the completion of the transformation of Plaça de Granada and the area around Escola Tarlatana, for more than 653,000 euros.
The City Council presented this report at Escola Calvet d'Estrella, where painting works worth more than 326,000 euros were carried out this summer. The next step will be to specify which actions the 3.2 million from Actualitza Escoles will fund in each of the 35 centres and when the first works can begin.