Potters Hill Road campus confirmed

In an early Christmas present for local families, the state government has finally confirmed the site of Wonthaggi Secondary College's Junior Campus in San Remo.

The local grapevine, which had long predicted the much-anticipated site would be on Potters Hill Road, proved to be accurate.

Today Minister for Education James Merlino and Member for Bass Jordan Crugnale announced the Potters Hill Road site had been secured and a builder appointed for the multi-million dollar campus for Year 7-9 students.

Construction is expected to start in February 2021. SJ Higgins has been appointed as the builder.

The new campus will open in 2022 and is in addition to the school's two existing campuses, including the McBride Senior Campus that opened this year.

The new junior campus will include an administration building and library, ultra-modern classrooms and separate specialist and innovation buildings. Another building will house a competition-grade gym and spaces to cater for food technology, music and performing arts.

The campus will also include a football oval and outdoor sports courts.

“This is a huge step forward for the project that will make a real difference to the families across the Bass Coast," said Ms Crugnale.

"I can’t wait to visit the site early next year to turn the first sod and get construction underway.”

The Minister said the community will get a chance to have its say on the name of both the new campus and the school when consultation opens in February 2021.

The most recent state budget included $25.76 million for the new Wonthaggi Secondary School Junior Campus in San Remo. Ms Crugnale said the money was for the next stage of the school construction, on top of the $19.2 million announced in 2018.

The campus will cater for students from Phillip Island and the Waterline area and deliver part of a $24.7 million election promise which also included a gymnasium at Cowes Primary School.

“We are building new and modern facilities to provide students on the Bass Coast with the learning facilities that they deserve," said Mr Merlino.

"We made a commitment to this community to deliver this school and that is exactly what we are doing.”

In May 2020 the state government announced an additional $5 million had been allocated to the Junior Secondary Campus to deliver a further stage of construction in 2022. The additional funding will allow the building to accommodate 500 students once all stages of construction are completed.