Club Terrace locals have welcomed the news that East Gippsland Shire Council has awarded a contract for the construction of a new community facility.

Mayor Cr Mark Reeves said Council awarding the construction contract for the project was a decision the community had been waiting on.

“The community has worked so hard to make this happen. They have been using a shed as their gathering space since the 2019-20 bushfires, so this is a big step forward for Club Terrace,” Cr Reeves said.

Design Co Builders from Lakes Entrance was awarded the $705,028 project, with works on the new community facility starting on site in March and expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Cr Reeves said for generations, the Club Terrace community hall had been a much-loved community asset, before being destroyed in the Black Summer bushfires.

A series of community consultation sessions informed the planning stage for the rebuild. Community members and stakeholders were invited to contribute to the development of the design brief for the rebuild to ensure the new facility meets the community’s needs now and into the future.

The new facility will feature a meeting room, office, two accessible toilets with shower, a kitchen and a service area. It will improve access to a range of services, including training, telehealth, Red Cross services, Royal Flying Doctor services, bush nurse attendance, cultural services, full connectivity to communications and backup power with an allocated generator, and the Sky Muster satellite communications system.

“This new construction will improve resilience and, thanks to its improved functionality, will allow communities to become better socially connected through increased usage and events and increase access for this remote and isolated community to a range of services,” Cr Reeves said.

The project is being funded by Council, and the Australian Government through the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources Black Summer Grant Program Grants Program.

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