Weavers from the Loom Room at Williamstown Senior Citizens Centre, which is slated for demolition, have pinned pieces of fabric to their clothing bearing the slogan: Patch it up.
Jenni Mitchell said users of the centre were pleading with Hobsons Bay council to patch up the building instead of tearing it down.
“We want to stay here until, at least, a suitable new location can be found.
“About 80 people are part of the Loom Room community and about 25 attend each week,” she said.
A public meeting was held in the building on Monday night to discuss the demolition proposal, which is part of a long-term plan for Dennis Reserve.
As reported by
Star Weekly, the council intends to decommission the centre by December and demolish it early next year to create a gateway to the reserve.
The building was constructed in 1958 and a report commissioned by the council shows its external walls are cracking and rotating, indicating foundation movement.
A geotechnical report recommends underpinning the building with deeper footings to stabilise the walls.
The cost to repair the building is about $900,000, while the cost of replacing it is about $1.2 million.
Mayor Colleen Gates said the extent of the subsidence and repairs needed was surprising for a building only 57 years old.
“A geotechnical review highlighted that the building was built on reactive clay soils, which shift over time,” she said.
“This is aggravated by pressure from tree roots from the mature trees nearby. Compounding the situation further is the fact that the foundations of the building are inadequate by modern standards,” Cr Gates said.
“They are only 80 centimetres deep but, if we built the building today, we would require them to be around two metres.
“As a result of these factors, the maintenance costs for the deteriorating building are becoming increasingly expensive and the cost to address these issues would be approximately the same as a complete rebuild of the building.”
The council recently put off making a final decision after the community outcry.
