Possession of the Karulaugu Nursery and Primary School transferred to the Viimsi municipality (13 Aug 2009). Karulaugu Nursery and Primary School Welcomes the First Children

On 1 September 2009, the new building of the Karulaugu Nursery and Primary School opened its doors, welcoming 290 children to the primary school and 144 children to the nursery. The brand-new building, located in Haabneeme, helps to significantly reduce the load of the Viimsi school which this year enrolled 170 kids in year one.

The developer handed the nursery and primary school building over to the Viimsi rural municipality on 13 August, giving the school time to furnish and prepare the building by the beginning of the school year. At the official opening of the school building, the large courtyard was full of happy children. In addition to the school staff, everyone who supported the completion of the building despite the difficult times has every reason to be satisfied. Several speeches were made at the opening ceremony, by Mr Enn Kasemaa, deputy head of the education department, Harju County Government; Mr Aarne Jõgimaa, chairman of the Viimsi municipality council; Mr Haldo Oravas, the Viimsi municipality mayor; Mr Vahur Kaska, director of E.L.L. Kinnisvara; and Mr Tiit Roben, chairman of the board of AS Merko (the contractor). “We may argue whether we had a short or long summer, but we all agree on one thing: today is the first morning of a new school year.” The municipality mayor thanked all the people for their trust and faith. This was the joint will and effort of the entire municipality. The other speakers also had warm words for the school. Between speeches, the children sang nice songs for everyone’s pleasure. The headmaster Mrs Leelo Tiisvelt and Mrs Margery Lilienthal, the head of Viimsi nurseries, were presented with symbolic school bells. And together with the aforementioned speakers they cut the ribbon to officially open the new school building. The children were taken to their classrooms, while the guests took a tour of the building.

The Karulaugu Nursery and Primary School has a total net area of 6 200 sq. metres. The architectural design was created by Indrek Erm from the Emil Urbel OÜ architectural firm. The school building has three storeys and includes 14 regular classrooms as well as dedicated class rooms for music, art and computer lessons. The school has its own assembly hall, canteen, library, rooms for the after-school program, and offices for the speech therapist and school nurse. The nursery can accommodate six groups, each having a separate entrance through the spacious porch on the southern side of the building; the porch includes drying cabinets, footwear rinsing facilities and toilets. All the nursery groups have their own locker room, play room, sleep room, toilets and ancillary room. The architects have also considered the needs of physically disabled people, as the building includes a lift and ramps for wheelchairs. The third building in the complex is a spacious sports facility, connected to the school building through the changing rooms in the basement. “The design of this building will always reflect the current times and mindset: it is non-extravagant, frugal and functional, and most importantly, dignified in its simplicity,” said Haldo Oravas, Viimsi municipality mayor, who is an architect himself.

The project was developed by Karulaugu Kinnisvara OÜ (subsidiary of E.L.L. Kinnisvara AS). The main contractor was AS Merko Ehitus.