In continuing the deployment of its schools master plan, based on the evolution of enrollment and the policy of optimizing municipal assets, the city of Saumur studied the grouping of the schools of Arche d’Orée and Récollets in order to to create a school group more adapted to the needs of families (read our article again). According to the municipality, the Arche d’Orée site has numerous advantages for accommodating the school group: “its location in the heart of the city, its architectural and functional qualities, its potential for development”. The merger of the two schools is planned on the Arche d’Orée site from the start of the 2024 school year. “It will allow the school’s surface area to be optimised, the potential of which could allow for changes, if necessary, depending on the variation in numbers. This new primary school will provide better comfort of use and access for families and pupils, as well as a better working environment for teaching teams and municipal staff,” highlights a deliberation of the city of Saumur presented to the municipal council this Wednesday, June 26.
Work during the summer
Before the students can take over the school benches next September, some work will be necessary to adapt the premises as best as possible. Some rearrangements of the rooms and spaces and a small refresh are planned during the summer. In addition to the interior development and beautification work, the complete requalification of the schoolyard will be carried out this summer with de-impermeabilization and renaturation work. This operation is identified in the local Action Coeur de Ville program. The total cost of the exterior development operation is estimated at €140,000 excluding tax and was approved this Wednesday by the municipal council. The elected officials have also submitted a request for a subsidy to the State as part of its Green Fund. The aid from the Green Fund, on the “renaturation of city centers” measure, is calculated on the deficit of the operation (expenditure – income). It is requested in the amount of €35,000 (25%).
What about the Récollets site?
Last September, the mayor of Saumur Jackie Goulet explained in our columns (read here): “ We are going to regroup the two establishments on the Arche Dorée site with an interior makeover. This should be completed by the start of the 2024 school year. Concerning the Récollets buildings, a big question will arise to decide its future. In any case, it will either be housing with an operation carried out by Saumur Habitat, or tertiary. But one thing is certain, this must not be an activity that falls back on the city’s budget.” But last April, during the previous municipal council meeting, he declared: “We have several avenues and we are working on a new destination for these buildings. You have to find the right orientation by taking into account the site, the small streets and the limited parking. » To be continued…
