After five years of promises, the redevelopment is going ahead with a $3.9 million budget to build a new school. But some in the community want the brick junior school, built in 1940, retained and redeveloped and have labelled the new school a waste of public money.
One major South Island contractor, interested in the project, is believed to have been surprised the existing buildings were not being utilised.
They have been critical of a lack of consultation with the community which may have helped them understand the options looked at. At the same time, they acknowledge their protests might be too late.
The school, in a recent news-letter, said a contractor would be selected this month, the site fenced off on April 6 and the board of trustees would have a working bee and final assembly in the old building on April 9.
The redevelopment of the school has been promised since 2004 when the Hakataramea Valley, Otematata and Kurow schools amalgamated to form the Waitaki Valley School on the former Kurow Area School site. The school became a primary school, losing its secondary school. Cattle Creek later closed and joined.
The new building will have five new classrooms, administration and communal area, meeting rooms, staff room, toilets, reception area, wet areas, outdoor learning areas, storage, plus resource and administrative spaces for various activities.
However, some residents spoken to by the Otago Daily Times believe redevelopment will cost less, give more classroom space, more storage and better staff facilities than a new building.
Some did not want to be named because of their association with the school.
John Sturgeon said he personally wanted the old junior school buildings redeveloped, extended and modernised to suit the new school. He believed that would cost less, but wanted to see the research on that option.
"I believe the new school will not provide the same amount of facilities," he said.
The dispute had only recently reared its head because of the amount of time it had taken to reach a decision on the redevelopment.
During that time, there had been virtually no consultation with the public, apart from two public meetings, one of which was not advertised correctly and to which nobody turned up.
"Things are now moving fast and people are being bulldozed into accepting something that, down the track, people will regret."
Mr Sturgeon was not sure what could be done at this stage, which was why people were now approaching the media.
Kurow couple Graham and Betty Hill had similar views. Mr Hill taught woodwork and metalwork at the former area school for 37 years. Mr Hill said the offer of a new school was the carrot for the merger of the other schools in 2004. The recent proposal had developed from there.
"The thing that gets us is that a new school is a waste of public money compared with redeveloping the existing buildings," he said. "If they were falling down around everyone's ears, then I could understand it, but they are not."
The buildings were not in their best condition because maintenance had been deferred while there were plans for redevelopment.
He wanted to see the buildings redeveloped or, at the least, see reasons why they could not be.
Both Mr and Mrs Hill said the Kurow community had never been fully informed about the development, nor why it was necessary to build a new school instead of utilising the existing buildings.
Mrs Hill said the community had been unable to do anything because it had not been given the information it needed.
Many in the community also had an association with the school, which made protest difficult.
She had recently written to Minister of Education Anne Tolley and Rangitata MP Jo Goodhew urging them to do something about it, but had not yet received a reply.
Bob Watherston had 22 years' association with the school, including on its committee of management and board of trustees, serving as its chairman.
He believed the current unrest in the community had been caused by a lack of public consultation, including before the project was finalised, by the Ministry of Education.
Recently the New Zealand Transport Agency held a public meeting in Kurow to discuss replacing the twin bridges across the Waitaki River on State Highway 82, four years before the project was planned.
Everyone felt they had been listened to. The ministry should have followed a similar process. Mr Watherston felt the ministry had failed "really badly" in its consultation.
"I've talked to other people in the community and there is a strong belief the existing buildings should not be demolished, but redeveloped," he said. "If the ministry clearly stated why, it may pacify the community to some extent. But, it has not been forthcoming."
