Swan in afternoon sun

Image taken yesterday around 1500. The swan had just come into the harbour. Picture will enlarge

We can fix it

Reporting any problems you find such as potholes to Highland Council has never been easier.

With Fix My Street just enter your postcode, locate the problem on an on-line map, and give a written description. The site will then automatically email the council for you.
In fairness to the council the public are probably the first to spot any issues and Fix My Street just makes reporting any issues which you find very easy.

We just hope Highland Council can still afford a person to read the email!

Provost calls for new school

The media interest in the situation at Nairn Academy continues with the Inverness Courier detailing Liz renewing her calls for a new school for Nairn, her logic being that with work starting on a new £2 million block soon, it would be better instead for the the Council to be better starting from scratch with a new school. The Courier quotes her,'I wonder whether that money would be better spent going towards a new school,' she said.'I have spoken to officers but it doesn't seem to be an option in the next five years.'

Where there's a will there's a way Liz, Nairn will just have to kick over tables and get a new Nairn Academy up to the top of the agenda! The present situation will not do at all.

According to the Courier Liz also has been reassured by council officials that there were no health risks and again the paper quotes her. 'I can understand parents' concerns.'

The article continues with details of the disruption and information from the Rector's newsletter to parents but like other articles published this week in the press this one also contains words from a sceptical parent. When the article appears on line we will link to it.

If you scroll down this page you will see other Gurn posts linking to previous articles and sites that contain information relevant to this incident. There have been quite a few comments coming into these posts and they too are worth a read.

In the meantime what do you think?

Opinion Poll

Do you feel that the Academy is a safe building? You can vote over on the Gurn on Sunday Opinion Poll - you'll find it in the side-bar on the right hand side at the top of the page

Water quality

SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) is looking to improve the quality of water in Scotland by 2015. As such it has drawn up plans for each district (We are North Highland). SEPA is asking for public feedback on each of the Area Management Plans.
They have highlighted an issue which particularly effects Nairn, that of the A96 Growth Corridor Development

Case Study: Development pressures and strategic planning – A96 corridor
Development pressure in the inner Moray Firth has been increasing over the last few decades and has become particularly acute around the East Inverness area. The A96 Growth Corridor Development Framework sets out the long-term planning strategy for this area. One of the key pressure points is the A96
Water Treatment Works to keep pace with planned development. Longer term, incorporating the developments around Nairn will include a new Wastewater (sewage) Treatment Works.

To view the plan for North Highland click here and scroll down. The deadline for comment is April 2009

Sainsbury’s in Scotland

An article in The Scotsman states that Sainsbury’s is to buy six Scottish stores from the Co-op. Nairn is not listed as being one of the six so it looks as though the fate of our Somerfield shop is still undecided.
Another story announces that Sainsbury’s is to open a £23million superstore at Stonehaven. 

Both these announcements will increase Sainsbury’s presence in Scotland and must strengthen the case for the Nairn Balmakeith store in terms of distribution for Sainsbury's

Saturday's Jenna Reid gig at Community Centre cancelled

Perhaps there's a shortage of spare cash out there now but the Gurn understands that tickets for the Jenna Reid gig were not selling at all. A pity really as Jenna is quite talented. Here's Jenna's myspace site and a chance to listen to some of what Nairn will now be missing.

Gurn receives message from Academy Parent

This message has just come in, it contains information about Artex from a Wikipedia site. The Gurn has already linked to that site but we are happy to publish the message and the wikipedia info. Artex is the material at the centre of the present incident at the Academy.

'For the benefit of anonymous who seems to be stoutly defending the council. Would he/she allow their child or staff at the school to be subject to such risk. The very fact the council has closed off this part of the schools tells its own story. if anyone needs to wake up to themselves it is not the parents but the council. Families with children going through their education at Nairn Academy now face weeks of disruption. We all wish the staff well and hope people are supportive towards them in what must be difficult circumstances.
ACADEMY PARENT'

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Artex is a surface coating used for interior decorating, most often found on ceilings, which allows the decorator to add a texture to it. The name Artex is a trademark of Artex Ltd., a company based in the UK. Since 1985, the company has belonged to France's Saint-Gobain group.[1]

[edit] Artex and health risks
Until the mid-1980s, the Artex coating was made with white asbestos to strengthen it.[2] Inhaling microscopic asbestos fibres can cause asbestosis and mesothelioma - defined by the World Health Organization as cancers - so anyone removing the coating or working with a surface covered with it should wear protective clothing and masks – and the area being worked on should be sealed off. Professional advice is advisable[3] and removal of the coating by experts may be necessary.[4] Removal of Artex is covered by the UK’s Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 2006, which make it illegal for a contractor not licensed by the country’s Health and Safety Commission to work on asbestos coatings.[5] In the UK, once removed, Artex and any other substance containing asbestos must be disposed of as hazardous waste. If the coating is left alone and coated with paint and undamaged, it may be safe to leave the coating in place and managed 'in situ' by annual inspection.[6]Plastering over the coating may ensure it is safely encapsulated. [7]

........

Opinion Poll
What do you think? Do you feel that the Academy is a safe building? You can vote over on the Gurn on Sunday Opinion Poll - you'll find it in the side-bar on the right hand side at the top of the page

Highland News reports on Nairn Academy situation

There is an article in this week's Highland News, not on line yet unfortunately, that takes a look at the Nairn Academy situation. The article is entitled 'School Asbestos find causes chaos for pupils'. Part of the article states:

'Since it opened in the mid 1970s, the flat roof has continually leaked, giving rise for concerns about the impact water penetration could have on the asbestos in the building.'The HN have also spoken to the parent council chairman Rick Riley and Provost Liz.

The HN also has a leader article 'Schools mess needs to be cleaned up' which also examines the situation at Nairn Academy and that of Millburn Academy*. Concerning Nairn Academy part of the leader states:

'Question marks are rightly being raised over the initial work which sparked the scare, given that Highland Council was aware of an asbestos problem at the academy for some time and that the state of the school has been constantly questioned over the years by parents' groups.'

*Another article in the HN takes a detailed look at the Millburn Academy situation. The article begins:

'Parents of pupils attending a £26 million state-of-the-art school were only informed about worries of safety worries involving their children just a day before the situation was exposed in the Highland News.'

Perhaps these articles will appear on the HN site soon.

UPDATE: HN article now on line.

Press and Journal reports:'Parents fearful of health risks at school after asbestos scare'

The P&J has been talking to parents and states that despite assurances mums and dads are worried about the safety of Nairn Academy.

They go on to say,'As fears about the long-term safety of a Highland secondary grew last night, the school’s interim head teacher insisted that the risk to children’s health following the discovery of asbestos was “insignificant”.

The article quotes parents. Provost Liz has also been speaking to the daily paper about future investment planned for the school, she would like to see a new school built instead. '“I don’t think good money should be spent after bad, especially when a general maintenance project causes such hassle and disruption,” she said to the P&J.

You can read the entire article here.

Opinion Poll

What do you think? Do you feel that the Academy is a safe building? You can vote over on the Gurn on Sunday Opinion Poll - you'll find it in the side-bar on the right hand side at the top of the page

'Life at Nairn Academy is never dull.'

Is how the Rector of Nairn Academy JD Simpson starts his latest newsletter. It contains news of the quite significant disruptions to classes, more on the recent incident and details of a helpline for parents.

The Rector tells parents in his newsletter, 'Following discussion with key Highland Council officials they have asked me to issue this statement
‘It is essential the pupils, parents and staff are reassured about this incident and about the future strategy for asbestos monitoring and removal and so information, including frequently asked questions and responses will be uploaded on an ongoing basis on the school’s website. '

The Rector also states that the Education Authority is exploring the use of community facilities for S1/2 pupils.

The full newsletter is available on the Academy website.

Readers may also be interested to see pictures of the new building at Nairn Academy, they have appeared on a blog entitled Murdi Life.