KINROSS Wolaroi School announced a $5.5 million development yesterday that was described as the most ambitious building program in the school's 118-year history.
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Stage one of the development of the Bathurst Road campus includes classrooms, pastoral care facilities, an administration centre, canteen and extensions to one of the boarding houses.
Stage two is the construction of an auditorium that will hold 1200 people, a chapel and mezzanine lecture space.
It will be built between Wolaroi House and the gymnasium.
Stage two is expected to commence late next year for completion in 2006.
Once stage two is completed it will replace the school's need to use the Orange Function Centre for events that involve the entire student and staff bodies.
The DH Prest Hall, opened in 1968 and named after 1960s principal David Prest, will be demolished as part of stage one.
The redevelopment of that site, east of the main oval, will include grandstand seating.
School council chairman Derek Pigot said the development application was lodged with Orange City Council yesterday.
"We are going to embark on the most ambitious building program in the 118-year history of the school. Commencing in September this year we will be spending in the vicinity of $5.5 million," he said.
"This will put a lot of extra dollars into the Orange economy as a result of these huge building programs, which will help our economy to be buoyant and will also help create jobs in the local community. More importantly, when these projects are completed they will give Kinross Wolaroi the best facilities of any private school anywhere in Australia."
School principal, the Reverend David Williams, said the projects would not use government grants but would be funded through loans and school reserves.
He said the intention was not to dramatically increase the number of students at the school.
Mr Pigot said the number of students at the school would probably be capped at about 1050 students.
"There has been no firm decision made on that but we feel a school of about 1050 will allow us to be very competitive with other schools but also competitive among ourselves with students and competition among themselves. A range of talent in the school will enable us to give the very best of education and that's what we are about - to make sure our educational product is the best available," he said.
He said growth over the past two decades had stretched the school's facilities to the limit.
"Kinross is 118-years old; the oldest education institution in Orange. The school has grown dramatically in the past 25 years. Twenty-five years ago, we had a student population from kindergarten to year 12 of only 210 students. Today as we talk that enrolment is now 965 students," he said.
