By Casey Neill
The Maranatha Christian School community is feeling grateful for a new car park and a refurbished hall.
Victorian Senator James Paterson officially opened the projects on behalf of Education and Training Minister Simon Birmingham at the Endeavour Hills campus on Thursday 9 November.
He said it was great to visit the Reema Boulevard site first hand and see the impact the $300,000 upgrades will have on students’ learning potential.
The car park is now an asphalt surface with proper drainage, kerb and channel, and concrete pathways, and automated gates have been installed.
The walls of the hall have been upgraded from bare cladding to MDF sheeting, the front and back walls now have acoustic fabric attached, and the ceiling has acoustic panels.
Principal William Jackson said the car park works reduced slip and trip hazards, created easier entry, and improved traffic flow.
“There is better run-off management of rain water with the installation of drainage, which has eliminated gravel being washed into the road during heavy rainfall events,” he said.
During the opening ceremony, Mr Jackson expressed gratitude for five things.
Mr Paterson’s attendance was one, government support for Christian schools was another, and the hard work of Maranatha’s pioneers was a third.
A fourth was the new car park drainage system.
“Over the years we have gradually been able to seal the roads and install good drainage,” Mr Jackson said.
“Being on a hill there have been times in the past when the music block would get flooded during heavy rain.
“In the past there were occasions when water would also go down the hill and into neighbouring properties.”
Lastly, Mr Jackson was grateful for the revamped hall.
“The hall is the main venue for the Endeavour Hills site,” he said.
“It hosts a range of sporting and special events. A permanent projector, screen and sound treatments have made a significant difference.”
