The contract for the construction of the €60 million Cork School of Music is expected to be signed before the end of this month, with construction likely to proceed on schedule for an opening date in September 2007, a senior Department of Education official has said.
The head of the department's public private partnership unit, David Gordon, said some work remained to be done on the financial arrangements with German firm Hochtief but he expected the contract to be signed before the end of August.
"There is good and steady progress being made on the commercial and financial close of the contract and a realistic timescale should be that the contract will be signed some time before the end of the month," said Mr Gordon.
He explained the Government had given the go-ahead on July 6th for the commercial and financial closure of the deal with Hochtief subject to approval of the loan arrangements by the National Development Finance Agency.
Hochtief Cork School of Music project manager Pat Gardiner agreed with Mr Gordon's time frame on the signing of the contract and said Hochtief would be in a position to move in on the site and begin work the day after the contract is signed.
The German company will build, equip and maintain the Cork School of Music for 25 years at a cost to the Department of Education and Science of €8.2 million per annum.
Hochtief took over the contract after British firm Jarvis ran into financial difficulty in the UK in 2004 and the takeover of the contract had to be cleared by Government lawyers to ensure that the takeover conformed with EU public procurement procedures.
Cork School of Music lecturer Gerry Kelly, who organised a campaign among staff and students for the new school, welcomed the news that the contract is expected to be signed within a matter of weeks.
"It appears that it's on track and we don't have any concerns from what we are hearing but it's pivotal that the contract is signed and in place when students return for classes this September - that's crucial in order that the school is built and ready by September 2007."