Community & Business
21 December, 2022
Opportunities for halls identified in review
A comprehensive review of community halls, Council and community owned, in the rural areas of the region conducted by Toowoomba Regional Council has revealed some ideas about how to improve our local halls.
Council owned community facilities include Cambooya Hall, Hodgson Vale Community Hall (at the Sports Club) and Westbrook Community Hall.
With 55 community halls in total, TRC Environment and Community Committee Chair Cr James O’Shea said it was important Council had a sound understanding of the condition and use of the halls.
“When conducting the review, Council staff spoke with community groups throughout the Toowoomba Region and users of the facilities to gain further knowledge,” he said.
“For Council, it’s about understanding where we have these halls and identifying opportunities and constraints for facility improvements.
“This will help guide future decision making on where upgrades are most needed and in the cases where the halls are under-utilised we will look at strategies on how we can get the best use of the halls in those locations.
“In addition to this, the review will assist Council and the community with funding submissions for potential grants to develop and improve infrastructure and amenity within the network.”
Significant facility upgrades identified for Cambooya Hall include a complete kitchen upgrade, complete amenities upgrade, access upgrades for the entire building and air conditioning.
The report notes Cambooya Hall is not heavily used despite being one of the only function spaces in the town.
It also notes the hall is a dedicated emergency evacuation centre, which heightens its need for upgrades.
Hodgson Vale Community Hall is recognised as being in good condition and used for a range of purposes.
The only concern identified is that the facility is somewhat difficult to access.
“Clearer signage is required at the Freyling Road-New England Highway intersection and from Maydean Place leading into the venue,” the report said.
Westbrook Community Hall is also identified as being in good condition and is considered among the most heavily used community facilities across the region.
The facility hosts dance classes, martial arts, group fitness, fortnightly community dances, monthly craft and regular private party bookings,
To ensure the hall remains attractive, a small number of facility upgrades were suggested, including constructing an all-abilities access to the supper room, replacing the storage area with a larger extension, irrigating the garden surrounding the memorial and formalising the car parking on the western side of the hall.
In addition to the community halls, a range of tenanted community facilities providing exclusive or specialised activities were looked at, including Cambooya Landcare.
The Cambooya Landcare facility is categorised as being in fair condition, with identified improvements including the air conditioning needing to be replaced, the exterior needing to be repainted and all-abilities access upgrades (including toilet upgrades) are required.
The report suggested opportunities may exist to divest or re-purpose the facility to maximise its use.
At the Ordinary Meeting of Council last week, Council voted to endorse the Rural Halls Review and the Review be used in the formulation of future Capital Work Plans, Operational Budgets, Asset Management Plans and Facility Planning for community halls across the Region.
