In recognising the importance of the Winchelsea Leisure Time Centre as the town’s sole indoor court facility, the Surf Coast Shire Council will allocate $110,000 towards essential repair works.
Under the current agreement with the Winchelsea Primary School, the funding will cover 30 per cent of the total repair bill to address movement in the floorboards from moisture levels underneath. The school’s 70 per cent contribution will be sought from the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA).
Council’s CEO will also enter into a new joint use agreement with the Winchelsea Primary School and the VSBA to govern use, management and maintenance of the Winchelsea Leisure Time Centre from January 2022.
At its 24 August meeting, Council considered a petition requesting that it undertakes to urgently complete the repairs to the centre and reopens it for public use as soon as possible.
The facility is owned by the Department of Education and Training and is on Winchelsea Primary School land.
Council, via its insurer, has sought to assist the school in dealing with building failures in recent years however the solutions were not successful. Since late 2020, the VSBA has taken the lead for addressing ongoing problems.
The facility was closed by the school after it noticed further movement in the floorboards and deemed the facility unsafe for use. This was a recurrence of a previous problem, thought to have been fixed in prior years.
Surf Coast Shire Cr Adrian Schonfelder said he was pleased a solution was being progressed.
“As our community continues to open up, facilities like the Winchelsea Leisure Time Centre will be vital in reconnecting people.”
“I’m glad that Council has committed funding so that these much needed repair works can get underway and we look forward to the Victorian School Building Authority’s contribution on behalf of the primary school.”
“It’s the only indoor court facility in the Winchelsea area, so it’s a really important facility for the town’s growing population,” he said.
