Building contract signed for multimillion pound Old Clyne School project at Brora - work to start on April 1
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A £3.5 million contract to redevelop Brora's Old Clyne School into a community heritage centre and museum has been officially signed.
Clyne Heritage Society, which owns the building and is behind the project, signed the contract with Thurso-based O'Brien Construction at Brora yesterday.
Society chairman Dr Nick Lindsay said: "It's no joke but the start date for work on the site has been agreed as April 1! The contract period is for 52 weeks and the society anticipates opening the doors to the new centre in May 2025."
He added: "This is a major milestone in our project, one that we have been striving towards for years and one that will benefit Brora enormously.
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"The redeveloped Old Clyne School will secure the future of heritage in the parish. For the first time our community will be able to properly and easily access all of the society's archives and carry out research in comfortable, purpose-built facilities.
"Our museum will be a valuable visitor attraction for the village and for travellers on the popular NC500 tourist route."
The society reached its full funding target in late December, with the Community Ownership Award of £1.95 million. This enabled them to give the go-ahead to O'Brien's, who had been selected as the preferred contractor through a formal tender process.
Three of the 13 funders who backed the renovation, including both the Scottish and UK Governments, granted awards in excess of £1 million.
Society vice-chairman Dr John Alderson said: "The redevelopment of the building and site will not only provide opportunities for the local community to engage with the heritage of Brora and the wider parish of Clyne, but will also deliver economic benefits to the village, including the creation of up to four full time equivalent jobs long-term.
"The fact we have selected a Caithness contractor means that much of the £3.5m will be spent in the north Highlands, including the creation of employment opportunities for construction trades locally for the duration of the project."
