Media Release: Council awards construction contract for new Perth Early Learning Centre

Posted on September 24, 2021

Work is to start soon on construction of a new $3.53 million Perth Early Learning Centre adjacent to the existing kindergarten and primary school.

Mayor, Mary Knowles OAM, said today Launceston-based firm R&T Rosier Constructions had been awarded the tender to build the new facility.

Mayor Knowles said council identified the need for a new Early Learning Centre in 2018 to meet growing demand in the Northern Midlands for day care and after school placements.

“The Perth Early Learning Centre is the only five-day-a-week early learning and childcare service catering for children from Perth, Evandale, Devon Hills, Longford, Cressy, Bishopsbourne and the surrounding rural properties,” Mayor Knowles said.

“Parents from Launceston working in the Northern Midlands also enrol their children at the Centre.

Mayor Knowles said funding for the $3.5 million facility was provided by Federal Government grants. Council supplied the land and associated site works, valued at an additional $433,000.

“This is an exciting project for the Northern Midlands which will create jobs during construction and support working parents, with economic and social benefits for the whole community.

Mayor Knowles acknowledged the cost of the development had increased from an original business case estimate of $2.65 million in 2019, but said there were good reasons for this.

“Originally we planned to build a facility with 42 places for day-care and 20 afterschool placements. However, to meet current and future demand for the service and staffing ratios per child we have increased the capacity of the new facility to 46 Early learning and 40 after school places. This means it can cater for 86 kids as we will not need to use the early learning rooms for after school care.

Mayor Knowles said this increase in capacity, a decision to include larger off-street parking and drop off areas, the buoyant Covid-19 construction industry and unprecedented material price increases had all contributed to the increase in cost to the project.

“Northern Midlands Council is pleased to partner with R&T Rosier Constructions Pty Ltd which is a family-based building and construction firm which has a strong track record in construction of new schools, kindergartens, early learning centres, nursing homes and residential developments across the north and north-east,” Mayor Knowles said.

It is expected construction of the new Perth Early Learning Centre will be completed in late 2022.