November 21, 2018
The South Burnett Regional Council plans to upgrade Nanango’s library and administration building soon.
On Wednesday, a Council spokesperson said the building had not had any significant money spent on it since it was built in the 1960s.
It was now in need of a substantial upgrade due to failing infrastructure, safety issues and mounting maintenance costs.
The building houses 70 Council staff and is an important community hub for Council’s administrative and library services in Nanango.
“Council is committed to maintaining a strong presence in the South Burnett’s major towns to ensure services are easily accessible for the community,” Mayor Keith Campbell said.
“We have been aware the Nanango library and administration building has been failing for some time.
“Old wiring has already contributed to two electrical fires at the site.
“The air conditioning unit is over 30 years old, regularly malfunctioning and in need of replacement because of the scarcity and high cost of parts.
“The building’s external, internal and sub-floors have been severely damaged over time by water leaks caused by multiple unstaged builds and failing internal box gutters.”
In April last year, the Council engaged an external engineering firm to produce a detailed condition assessment of the building, which confirmed its poor state.
It then investigated three possible solutions including refurbishing the existing building, demolishing and rebuilding on the existing site, or building new on a greenfield site.
“The condition report, teamed with a cost-benefit analysis of the building’s ongoing maintenance needs, have all indicated that it is time to upgrade the building,” Mayor Campbell said.
“Costs involved with demolishing and rebuilding the facility were prohibitive, so Council has determined the best option is refurbishment.”
The Mayor said Council would be calling tenders for the construction and modifications soon.
Council has appointed HM Architects to design the upgrade.
It will feature maintenance and energy efficiency improvements, structural repairs, new electrical wiring, new roofing and guttering as well as upgrades to the library and community facilities.
It is expected the project will extend the building’s life by more than 30 years.
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