The new building of the Prince Willem Alexander School in Eext will be two thousand euros more expensive. There are bats in the roof of the school and the extra money is needed to move the animals. The new school was originally expected to cost 2.5 million euros.
All bat species are protected and therefore should not be disturbed or captured. When buildings are demolished, bat boxes are often hung nearby. But that is not possible in Eext, because the bat species found there hardly use the hives.
To allow the animals to move on their own, the municipality of Aa en Hunze has a replica made of the roof of the old school building on top of an adjacent sports hall. Together with the necessary studies, this will cost the municipality an additional 195,000 euros.
The construction of the replica is a setback for the Primah school umbrella organization, which had expected to be able to teach in a new school building next year.
The old building is no longer suitable. The stairs are very steep, the corridors too narrow and there is not enough space for everyone.
The current building is already empty and in the meantime the children are receiving education in temporary buildings on the schoolyard. According to the municipality, it will take at least until the end of 2026 before the old building can be demolished.