A community forum held on Tuesday called for moratorium on the construction of the proposed TAFE multi-trades skills hub on the former Bega Hospital site
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It was admittedly a "last ditch" attempt to call a halt to the work, given it's scheduled to turn the first sod in March.
The forum was attended by NSW Teachers Federation members and as well as concerned Bega community members.
Federation spokesman Rob Long said no-one was arguing against the investment of a further $17million in the Bega education sector. However, as it has been for a number of years, the overwhelming consensus was that the investment should be at the existing TAFE campus.
Raising particular ire in the room was that much of that investment would be used to replicate the Barracks restaurant and the successful commercial cookery kitchen facilities at the new site - just two blocks from its current location.
"We're not wanting to get into the politics of this," Mr Long said.
"We just want to talk about the best options for our students and teachers."
The use of the old Bega Hospital site on Auckland St has been debated for a number of years. In July 2016 the council purchased the site with the intention of creating a tertiary education hub.
However, as Mr Long outlined at Tuesday night's forum, that plan has not eventuated and looks unlikely to. It's understood among the reasons is the high cost associated with rehabilitation of the site and demolition of the old hospital, which has known asbestos issues.
"The Connected Learning Centre is a fantastic facility, but it's our understanding the education hub long touted for the old hospital site is not going ahead.
"The universities don't want to go there, Centrelink doesn't want to go there, no job agencies have come forward to be part of it," Mr Long claimed.
The Teachers Federation-backed call is to hold off on the skills hub construction until a better analysis of the region's needs and community sentiment is completed. Even more pertinent, Mr Long said, given the bushfires and likely massive level of investment now required for rebuilding and recovery across the region.
Many attendees at the forum signed a letter to that effect to be forwarded on to Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee, also requesting he consider the "preferred option" of building the multi-trades skills hub at the TAFE Barrack St campus.
There was also consideration of a continued push to ensure the NSW government does not close and sell the current large, tree-filled campus and its facilities, in favour of a small, untested modular unit with reduced facilities and services, mere blocks away.
As one member of the audience said: "Trying to teach welding out of the back of a shipping container will not work - there's no comparison to the bricks and mortar facilities we already have."