Connecting Schools Grant Progress

Neerigen Brook PS was incredibly fortunate to receive one of the 2021 Connecting Schools grants. We explored many options for how to best use our funding - including a bike track, which we are hoping to revisit in future! - and decided to use the funds to upgrade our bike storage areas.

There were a few big things we wanted to improve on with our bike shelter upgrade. Though it has served the school well for many years, students and families had expressed concerns about the lack of shelter, exposing the bikes and scooters to the wind and rain, and the location, as the racks are towards the back of the school.

Fortunately, we were able to repurpose an existing structure at the front of the school. As it already had a concrete pad and sturdy walls, we didn't have to worry about finding extra funds for an upgrade! We moved the existing bike racks to the new location to check the size and fit.

However, we did need to make some improvements. Again, there was no cover from the wind and the rain, and due to its proximity to the school boundary, we had some concerns about security and visibility from the road.

Our project includes putting a roof over the compound and enclosing two sides to reduce visibility from the road. The upgrade also includes installing gutters and soak wells to ensure the building can serve the school community for many years to come. Our contractor is busy sorting the building permit and we hope to have our structure installed very soon.

We can't wait to share what our finished structure looks like. We have some very enthusiastic students who have volunteered to help us collect data for our next survey, which we hope will reflect increased active travel in light of the improved shelter and security.

Thanks again to the Your Move team and the Department of Transport for the funding and support - we very much appreciate your efforts and look forward to updating you soon.