Likely start date revealed for long-awaited Coosan school project

Athlone TD Kevin 'Boxer' Moran this week announced that work to construct the new €5m Coosan National School was likely to begin in May after a contractor was appointed to the long-delayed project.

The TD said the development at the 400-pupil school had been awaited for the last 16 years, so he was 'absolutely delighted' to see it reach this stage.

The project will involve the construction of a new 16-classroom school along with a special needs education unit. It's hoped that it will be ready for use by the start of the new school year in September 2018.

'This has been a long saga and a political thorn in our sides, I suppose, but it's going to be of great benefit to the pupils and staff of the school for a long number of years to come,' said Boxer.

'The news is a credit to the staff, the board of management, and the parents' association which, from the beginning of last year, really rolled in behind the project and made it a priority.'

* For more on this story, see this week's Westmeath Independent