SWANBOURNE Nedlands Surf Life-saving Club’s facilities have reached “breaking point” and are in desperate need of a $1 million upgrade.
Club president Luke Bishop said the club’s education room and administration were in a good state, but changerooms and storage space were in “dire need of an upgrade”.
“Storage facilities are overflowing and we’ve got infrastructure outside that should be housed inside, and it’s not good for the value of assets like trailers and surf boats,” he said.
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READ NOW“At the moment, (the changerooms) don’t have the required universal access or number of facilities per gender, but female changerooms are a large concern; I’ve seen residential bathrooms bigger.”
Mr Bishop needs local, State Government and Lotterywest funding to help the proposed $1 million redevelopment of the club.
The City of Nedlands agreed on Tuesday to list the surf club’s $239,408 funding application on its 2020-21 budget if the State Government agreed to back the cause.
“The club has hundreds of female members changing in what was previously the first aid room; they should have proper change facilities,” said Mayor Max Hipkins.
Mr Bishop said the club, running on a subscription based membership, had more than 550 members with more than 250 of them female.
“We have four open showers and one enclosed water closet, one enclosed toilet and one basin for female members at the moment,” he said.
“We’re asking for $263,000 from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries for a Community Sport and Recreation Facilities Fund (CSRFF) and typically the local government will match that.”
The club, which will fund $160,000, is also awaiting results of an expression of interest for a Lotterywest Community Spaces Building and Fit Out Grant worth $360,000.
If the redevelopment funding is approved, the club will be extended from its north end and the gym relocated upstairs.
“There would be renovation of existing changerooms and pushing them where the existing gym sits to allow enough space for our changerooms to be updated to national construction codes,” Mr Bishop said.
The club will find out the success of its CSRFF application in 2020.