Cr Kathy Duff
January 31, 2019
South Burnett Regional Council will spend $400,000 to restump and re-roof Mondure Hall, and a further $200,000 to re-roof Nanango’s Ringsfield House.
The decision to carry out both projects was made at Council’s January meeting.
However, completion timelines will depend on whether or not the Council receives a State Government grant to help carry them out.
At January’s meeting, Councillors voted to apply to the Local Government Grants and Subsidy Program for funding.
The program helps councils deliver priority infrastructure by subsidising 60 per cent of total project costs.
Council officers told the meeting Mondure Hall’s stumps have significant damage and aren’t supporting the floor in several areas.
The building’s roof is also in poor shape, with rust and holes in the roofing iron visible from inside the hall.
Ringsfield’s roof is also showing signs of deterioration and there are concerns it could leak during heavy rain.
Deputy Mayor Kathy Duff said the Mondure upgrade needed to be a priority because the hall was a community hub.
“We have committed to the long-term with Mondure Hall,” Cr Duff said.
“We sacrificed Hivesville Hall, and have made a commitment to the community that Mondure Hall would be kept for that reason.”
She said in recent years the hall had wheelchair access installed and a kitchen upgrade.
“Now we need to progress forward and do the stumping and roofing.”
But Cr Terry Fleischfresser questioned whether the hall would require even more upgrades to bring it up to modern standards if the stumping and roofing went ahead.
He also questioned if the building was worth the money that could wind up being spent on it.
“Our responsibility to the community, by and large, is overwhelming,” Cr Fleischfresser said.
“Are we happy to go with a building that doesn’t comply with fire standards, for example?
“I am concerned we don’t know the full costs of upgrading this hall to meet contemporary standards – and is it wise to invest so much into such an old building?”
Cr Fleischfresser said over the longer term, Mondure Hall would eventually require disabled toilets, additional water storage, sewerage upgrades, hard-wired smoke detectors, other general fire safety upgrades and exit lighting, and the cost would be considerable.
Cr Duff said the building was a community hub and the situation with Mondure Hall was no different to Ringsfield.
“No total costings have been done there, either,” Cr Duff said.
After receiving confirmation from Finance General Manager Lester Schumacher that repairs to Mondure Hall would not trigger additional Hall modifications under the Council’s building regulations, the matter was put to a vote.
The motion to apply for funding for both projects was carried 6-1, with Cr Fleischfresser opposed.
