2016-10-17 General Committee Meeting Notes

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                    17 OCTOBER 2016


From a Council perspective there are opportunities and challenges in pursuing Option 6. See
SWOT below:

Strengths                                            Weaknesses
     this proposal resolves the land tenure             the building is currently closed to the
        issues                                               public and needs close to $400,000 spent
     the RSL have agreed to a semi                         on repairs and urgent maintenance before
        commercial rental of $20,000 per annum               it could be re-opened
        for the lease of their club house which           the building contains asbestos
        could be used to offset some of the costs         Once restored the building’s ongoing
        of maintaining the Hall                              maintenance and upkeep would probably
     sections of the local community and                   exceed the proposed $20,000 pa rental
        CCHAG in particular would welcome                    from the RSL
        Council taking over responsibility for the        any funds spent by Council on
        Hall                                                 maintaining the Hall, regardless of
                                                             funding sources will directly impact
                                                             Council’s operating position
                                                          there are a number of other halls and
                                                             meeting places in Cooroy that are newer
                                                             and safer, although their availability may
                                                             be restricted
                                                          there is currently no local incorporated
                                                             group prepared to manage the building
                                                          the DOGIT and the Noosa Plan
                                                             significantly restrict the potential
                                                             commercial uses of the Hall
Opportunities                                        Threats
    using heritage levy funds to undertake              while the building has sentimental value it
       some or all of the repairs                            has no clear use or purpose
    finding an adaptive re-use for the Hall so          once repaired the building may be little
       that it once again has an economic and                used and become a white elephant
       social purpose                                     Council’s ability to repurpose or demolish
    demolishing the Hall and creating a                    the Hall is constrained by the DOGIT and
       memorial park or playground on the site               the Noosa Plan’s Heritage Overlay Code
    if the Hall was demolished moving the
       Cenotaph next to the RSL so that all of the
       town’s war memorial functions are in a
       central location
    using a portion of the vacant land at the
       southern end of the DOGIT to create a
       new connection between the eastern and
       western parts of Cooroy township which
       are now separated by the railway line


Condition Assessment

Upon receiving the correspondence from the RSL Board that it is prepared to relinquish the
whole DOGIT on 29 August, Council Officers commissioned a building condition report for the
Hall from Independent Building Inspections (IBI).

The report from IBI generally confirms the report commissioned by the RSL Board from
Pellegrene Consulting Engineers. (refer attachment 2)

The main areas for concern identified in the IBI report are:
•    that the building has sustained termite damage in the south west corner of the building and
     above the projection room.
•    there is evidence of rafter damage and structural defects in these areas which might lead to
     localised structural failure or the collapse of the roof.
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