KNOCK IT DOWN: Demolition of council’s M’boro headquarters gets underway

Demolition crews have started clearing out what’s left of the Fraser Coast council’s administration building in Maryborough.

CBD DEMOLITION: Former Fraser Coast Council administration building in Maryborough scheduled for demolition soon.

DEMOLITION crews have started clearing out what's left of the Fraser Coast council's administration building in Maryborough.

Construction teams entered the 50-year-old building on Kent St yesterday to start clearing out asbestos and preparing it to be knocked down.

It follows engineers revealing the site was unusable because of structural defects and the airconditioning, water supply, sanitary drainage and electrical systems required major overhauls.

A new building will be constructed in its place once the old site is knocked down by the end of May.

Former Maryborough City Council mayor Barbard Hovard, who worked out of the building for years before her retirement, said staff and ratepayers deserve a safe building.

She said its demolition did not "erase" the memories staff had working from there.

"I loved working there: I loved it when I was on the phone and the Town Hall clock would chime," Ms Hovard said.

"There are only good memories of that building."

The building has been condemned for more than three years when the problems were first discovered in 2017.

Fraser Coast councillors ultimately decided the cost of refurbishing the admin building would be more expensive than constructing a new one.

Ms Hovard said returning the staff to the site would help boost businesses in the local area.

"In my time, when all the staff worked there, businesses certainly benefited because people shopped their in their lunch breaks," she said.

Originally published as KNOCK IT DOWN: Demolition of council’s M’boro headquarters gets underway