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the community,” says Barry.
In this particular example, the facili-
ties were mostly used in the evenings
and weekends and were most com-
monly employed for sport training pur-
poses. “The wider community did not
have any real further use of the as-
sets, and the buildings were very rare-
ly occupied during the daytime,” says
Barry. “Through a considerable invest-
ment by the Council, Glenunga Hub is
now widely used both by the sports
clubs and the wider community.” The
Council, which gained shared man-
agement of the facilities by contribut-
ing fully to the cost of the project, fo-
cused on upgrading both the buildings
as well as the open space, resulting in
maximum efficiency.
Today, the Glenunga Hub is used for
a variety of community events, includ-
ing children’s birthday celebrations,
community programs, and other simi-
lar functions. It provides an outreach
venue in the west of the council area
for educational and language courses,
health and fitness classes, special in-
terest clubs, and other programs co-
ordinated by the Council. A number of
successful local sports clubs continue
to call Glenunga Hub their home.
Upgrading a beloved
swimming centre
The George Bolton Swimming Cen-
tre Burnside and its refurbishment
has also represented a significant un-
dertaking for the Council. “The project
commenced roughly the same time as
the Glenunga Hub project,” says Barry.
“In the initial stages, a detailed condi-
tion assessment was carried out. That
way, the team had a complete under-
standing of the condition of all the as-
sets within the facility.” Some of those
were approaching 45 years of use and
various systems were too old to be
useful any longer.
After presenting the Council with sev-
eral options, it was decided that the
aspects of the facility which were most
loved and used would be maintained
and further enhanced. The outdoor,
park setting was one of the Centre’s
strongest points, and the City of Burn-
side wanted to ensure that through
the project, the Centre lost none if its
charm. “As the facility has traditional-
ly provided a good mix between rec-
reation and lap swimming, the Coun-
cil did not want to ruin its character,”
Barry Cant