Gympie council speaks on cost of restoring heritage community halls

A combination of rising building costs and the ravages of time are raising concerns about the expense of maintaining some of Gympie’s 33 country halls.

Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig said the council was exploring what was needed to continue the upkeep and restoration of the region's country halls like the one at Amamoor, but there was a financial line which might become too high for some venues.

Amamoor Hall has been part of the heartbeat of the Mary Valley town for decades, home to dances and meetings, and like with all things, the ravages of time have not always been kind.

The building, at the corner of Blackgate Rd and Busby St, has literally lost its last legs, with its original stumps deteriorating to the point it was supported by dozens of temporary ones.

It is far from the only aging country hall in the region which needs at least a lick of paint or some new facilities, but questions are now being raised about whether the price tag to revitalise these buildings is too high.

Gympie neighbour to the west, the South Burnett Regional Council, is weighing up its options on the historic Tingoora Hall.

A new report on the cost of fixing the dilapidated building has put the repair bill between $500,000 and $800,000, just to bring it back to working order.

Bulldozing it was another option.

South Burnett Regional Council is grappling with the cost of restoring the century-old Tingoora Hall, with the repair price tag estimated to be between $500,000 and $800,000.

The cost to repair Amamoor Hall may not come close - a council spokeswoman said on Tuesday a full scope of works “has yet to be determined” - but rising costs across the building industry suggest it will not be cheap.

Amamoor Hall is one of 33 community halls across the Gympie region, of which 27 are run by associations with the council as the trustee.

In 2012, the council tore down the Brooloo Hall after its state of disrepair became too great.

Three other halls - Kia Ora, Sandy Creek and Mooloo - were also at risk of being on the chopping block at the time.

The Sandy Creek Hall has since been abandoned, and Mooloo Hall is no longer listed on the council’s webpage.

Mayor Glen Hartwig said balance was at play with these decisions and there was a point at which the desire to revitalise a historic hall was outweighed by the cost.

Bringing these old halls up to modern building standards was also a “huge challenge”.

“Halls are a little bit like old cars,” Mr Hartwig said.

“They do need to be maintained regularly.”

Amamoor Hall has dozens of temporary supports helping to keep the building propped up.

It was sometimes a matter of throwing “good money after bad”, but some of the halls in the region had “significant” history.

Councillor Bruce Devereaux said in a series of comments made on social media the questions around Tingoora Hall were also being asked about the Amamoor Hall.

Mr Devereaux said the hall was “sitting on temporary stumps in need of a permanent solution”.

There are 33 community halls across the Gympie region, although the number has changed across the years with venues like Brooloo Hall being abandoned or demolished. Photo Renee Pilcher / The Gympie Times

“How much is reasonable to bring these up to current standards?” he said, pointing to the same balance mentioned by Mr Hartwig.

“They have local history in spades. Dances. Wedding receptions. Eighteenths. Wakes. Think of similar costs for each of ours what (sic) need it.”

The council spokeswoman said there was no timeframe for fixing Amamoor Hall.

Any funding for it would likely “sit within” a broader capital works program “and be subject to review”.

Neither it nor any of the region’s halls were currently slated for the chopping block, though.

Brooloo Hall was torn down in 2012 by the council. A council spokeswoman said none of the region’s halls at the moment are earmarked to end up the same way.

“There are several factors that determine which of our region’s halls are considered for repair and restoration, including considering the financial investment required to maintain a building asset to ensure community expectation is met now and into the future,” she said.

“Our region’s halls are essential hubs that are part of the fabric of our community.”

Mary Valley councillor Bob Fredman, whose division encompasses Brooloo and Amamoor, disputed the suggestion halls had to be brought entirely up to modern standards.

While there was need to ensure measures like disability access were installed, there was “some debate” as to the exact standards that had to be met.

There was one basic truth about these halls which the community needed to keep in mind though.

“If the community doesn’t use it, it will lose it,” Mr Fredman said.