City Centre’s Comprehensive School to move forward: Supreme Administrative Court rejected petitions for leave to appeal

On 12 August, the Supreme Administrative Court rejected the applications for leave to appeal against the change in the zoning plan related to the construction of the City Centre’s Comprehensive School.

– This means that the construction of the City Centre’s Comprehensive School can proceed again, and we can draft a more precise timetable for the project, says Christina Knookala, Director of Education and Culture.

The rejected applications for leave to appeal were submitted by Vaasan rakennusperintöyhdistys ry, Asunto-osakeyhtiö Vaasan Kasarminkatu 10, Asunto-osakeyhtiö Vaasan Kauppapuistikko 24, and Asunto-osakeyhtiö Vaasan Kauppapuistikko 28.

Project plan to be updated urgently

The City Centre’s Comprehensive School was originally scheduled to open in 2026, but appeals against the zoning changes have delayed the construction project.

The City Council approved the project plan for the City Centre’s Comprehensive School on 13 June 2022. Now the project can move forward in the decision-making process.

– On 6 May 2024, the City Board decided to propose to the City Council that the project plan for the comprehensive school and the space requirements for its gymnasium be reopened. If the City Council approves the change related to the gymnasium, the project plan will be updated during the remainder of 2024, says Tapio Ollikainen, Director of Premises Management Office.

New comprehensive school to open in 2028

The City Centre’s Comprehensive School will consist of three buildings:

• the valuable old building at Kauppapuistikko 22, which will be renovated
• a new building to be constructed on the site of the old building at Raastuvankatu 33 which will be demolished
• the Keskuskoulu primary school, the renovation of which was completed in 2020. The building will be used in its present condition.

The city is currently investigating whether a faster timetable could be adopted for Kauppapuistikko 22. The design of the new building at Raastuvankatu 33 will start in early 2025 and the design phase will take approximately a year.

– The construction phase will begin with the demolition of the old building at Raastuvankatu 33 and is expected to start in May 2026. The construction phase is estimated to take 2.5 years, and the new comprehensive school will open in the autumn of 2028. The timetable will be refined as the project progresses, says Ollikainen.

Both school staff and parents will be consulted as the planning progresses.

The Merenkurkku school was renovated during the summer

Once completed, the new school premises will house the entire Merenkurkku secondary school and the bilingual and English classes of the Suvilahti school. After the relocation, the Merenkurkku school building will no longer be used for educational purposes.

During the summer, the Merenkurkku school underwent corrective actions related to reports on the quality of indoor air.

The repairs are based on a comprehensive building condition survey (humidity, indoor air and ventilation technology) conducted by AFRY Finland in May and June.

During the summer, sealing work was carried out to improve the airtightness of the structures, and a moisture-damaged section of the flooring in the canteen was replaced. Repair work will continue during this academic year.

The aim of the current repairs is to ensure the safe and healthy use of the building for the next few years.

School work began as usual at the Merenkurkku school on 9 August 2024. In the 2024–2025 school year, seven classrooms at Keskuskoulu School and three at Alma Adult Education Centre will be used by Merenkurkku School. These temporary relocations will have a positive impact on the ventilation of the Merenkurkku school building.

In the spring of 2024, the possibility of moving the pupils to the Vamia premises was also considered, but this would have required extensive changes. At the moment, the preferred solution is to renovate the Merenkurkku school so that it can continue to be used until the City Centre’s Comprehensive School is completed.