Council to work with Snowy Hydro on new community facility for Khancob

Published on 05 October 2018

khancoban hall.jpg

Deteriorating conditions and asbestos issues at the Khancoban Hall have provided an opportunity for Council to explore a new community facility as a joint venture with Snowy Hydro.

Snowy Valleys Council and Snowy Hydro met with the Khancoban community recently to discuss options and better understand the community’s future needs for a community facility.

In March 2018, both bonded and friable asbestos were found in the Khancoban Community Hall and Council was forced to close the facility.  A hygienist and other specialty consultants were engaged to undertake analysis of options for treatment of the facility.

“The presence of asbestos and the cost involved in reparation, either temporarily or permanently, is not feasible for the existing hall so we do need to look at other options,” Council Director Assets and Infrastructure Matt Christensen said.

The community meeting discussed issues around the current hall being too big for the town’s current population and equipment inside the hall which was outdated and not suitable for easy repair.

The community group also discussed their desired configuration for a new hall including badminton and basketball courts, meeting rooms, suitable solar heating and cooling and a moveable stage, amongst other features.

Representatives from Snowy Hydro shared information on the upgrades at the Murray 1 and Murray 2 power station facilities, and their need to remove the Visitor Centre from the operation facilities for the upgrades.

“It was agreed that a gathering place was important to the community and that the preferred option was to have a partnership between Council and Snowy Hydro formed to suit the needs of both the Khancoban Community (through Council) and Snowy Hydro,” Mr Christensen said.

“We agreed to check back in with the Khancoban community before Christmas and we are aiming to have a concept design of the proposed new hall and costings to share with them.  Applying for grant funding would then be the next step”.

Council will to continue to work through options for a short term facility for the Khancoban community given the two year plus expected time frame for a new building and supposing grant funding is available

 

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