IZMIT SCHOOL UPDATE by Orhan Gürbüz

IZMIT SCHOOL UPDATE
By Orhan Gürbüz.

Dear readers.
In our June - July issue of NewsBridge (pp.13 and 22) we had a report for the Izmit School project. Also in the August-September issue we provided you an update (p.6). Here we will continue with our update.

Recent Work:
The Phase two of the project (the interior work) was completed at the end of August. Thanks to our member Ertürk Dinçel; he was able to get a donation from a ceramic company (Kale Bodur Holding) to cover all the class room floors with ceramics tiles ( a cost of about 8 thousand dollars). Also Ertürk Dinçel was able to get approval of the school, as is, from the Director of Izmit Ministry of Education. Please note that we say as-is; the school still has a few more items required to be completed.
Those are; landscaping, heating system, natural gas, sewerage system and the closure of the side walk.

Because of these shortages and most importantly, the residents have not yet moved to the village, the school opening ceremony was not held. However, Izmit municipality accepted the responsibility to complete the landscaping and to bring the natural gas to the school and to the village. The governor of Izmit has approved all of the other shortages to be completed from the governor's budget.

ATASC will provide a marble emblem at the school courtyard entrance with the school name on it. Also the ATASC board has decided to provide a few computers to the school, at the beginning of the school year (we have about $2,000.00 in the school fund to meet our commitment). Thus, we are expecting all of the above items to be completed in mid-2004, and the school will be open for education in 2004 fall semester.

In September ATASC gave a luncheon for the Izmit Municipality and government officials, and turned over the school key to the Director of the Izmit Education Department. Attendees were; the Governor, the Director of Izmit Department of Education, the mayor, the deputy mayor, a few officials and Izmit news media. ATASC was represented by Vedat Aslay and Ertürk Dinçel.

Movers of the Project
In our September-October update we announced some of the contributors who made this project a success. However, we should mention again that without three names this project would not come to a successful and joyful end: Vedat Aslay and Ertürk Dinçel (our members) and Nail Baki (the head of the project coordination department of the Izmit municipality). We are very grateful to these three individuals.

Thus, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like you to join me to thank them.

Pictures.
We included in this issue, a final pictures of the school.