With the new kindergarten in Mallacoota now operational, the time has come to decommission and demolish the old building it replaced.
This building was an East Gippsland Shire Council asset, which has been identified as being at the end of its useful life. This is one of the main reasons new kindergarten was constructed – to ensure Mallacoota children have access to a great service in a suitable facility.
The old Council-owned kindergarten at 23 Greer Street is structurally unsound. The type of construction and the impact of nearby significant trees have created ongoing maintenance challenges, while the building design has limited functionality for other uses.
“The building’s age and condition make ongoing use of the facility unviable,” Mayor Cr Mark Reeves said.
“A modern, 66-place $2.5 million kindergarten, strongly advocated for by Council, has now been built on Mallacoota’s P-12 College site,” Cr Reeves added.
The old kindergarten building is not suitable for re-use or redevelopment for a number of reasons. They include corrosion of the structural steel mesh in the floor slab and blockwork ties; ground movement caused by the roots of two significant trees, which poses a structural risk; and the lightweight construction of the decades-old building. The building’s age and condition make restoration uneconomical.
Recent investment in community facilities, including the new Sports Pavilion and Community Clubrooms, Mallacoota Hall, and recently announced $493,000 upgrade of the Mudbrick Pavilion has ensured that Mallacoota has a broad range of new and upgraded facilities to cater for a range of community uses, making retention of this structurally unsound building unnecessary.
The decommissioned kindergarten site will be returned to the recreation reserve and Council will work with the Mallacoota Halls and Recreation Reserve Ground Management Committee regarding its future use.
