Wollongong City Council has now invited tenders for the long-awaited refurbishment works for the North Beach Surf Life Saving Club building.
The project, along with a plan to refurbish the seawall in front of the Club, has been on Council's agenda for some time.
The project includes the refurbishment and rearrangement of the building's lower floors, the demolition and reconstruction of the patrol room, a new first floor balcony and rebuilding the roof to address roof leak issues.
In addition, the building's façade will be repaired and repainted to maintain its heritage value.
"This is a very exciting project and one that will likely attract some keen interest from those in the construction industry who like a challenge,'' Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said.
"It's a complex project, in a high-profile site. It's important we get the right team for the job.
"It's also really good news to see this work moving forward. We've had this on the agenda since 2008 when we flagged that we needed to do something to improve the tired, rundown building. It's now more than 80-years-old and we need to carry out these works so that it'll be up to a standard that'll see it used by a few more generations of beach-goers.''
The project is due to start in late April 2021, with the intention to get as much of the work done during the winter months when the number of beach users is limited.
At the same time as going to tender for the works to the Surf Club building, Council is also calling for tenders for the seawall works. We are currently considering two options – either a series of short-term works that support the existing wall, or a staged reconstruction of a complete seawall starting immediately north of the Surf Life Saving Club building.
"There are a lot of moving parts to this project and we need to get the balance right,'' Cr Bradbery said.
"We're working through the process of securing an Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit that will allow us to carry out investigative and preparatory works in the seawall precinct. These important permits take time.
"As we go to tender for the building and two options for the seawall works we have the opportunity to work with flexibility around potential to uncover Aboriginal heritage, the best budgeting outcomes and also how we can meet our community's expectations for this work.''
Tenders for the project close immediately before Christmas.
