RENOVATIONS worth more than $1 million are underway at the Bathurst RSL Club.
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General manager Peter Sargent said the work began on January 14, and will ultimately freshen up the club and make it more viable in the future.
Mr Sargent said work will be carried out in the lounge bar, auditorium and function room, courtyard and outdoor area.
“We’ll be getting new carpet and new furniture. It will look great,” he said.
“One key feature of the work is we will be opening up a wall in the auditorium and Heritage Room which will give us more capacity in that area.
“At the moment, with larger functions, we are stretched when it comes to catering for larger functions.
“For example, the Bathurst District Sport and Recreation dinner had 220 people at it, and it was a tight fit.
“Anything around the 220-230 people we struggle with capacity and have
subsequently turned larger functions away. With these new renovations we can accommodate another 50 seats.”
Mr Sargent said it was business as usual at the RSL Club while renovation work was underway, and said the club will be back to being fully operational by Anzac Day.
“With the 100-year Gallipoli anniversary and bicentenary celebrations, there was no good time to do these, but we really had a limited window,” he said.
“January and February are quieter months for us, so we decided to take a bit of a hit and do it.
“Having said that, we have had a really good response from people about the work and the feedback has been very positive.
“The club was looking a bit tired and it needed a facelift. We are doing it in an affordable fashion and the end result will be great.”
Mr Sargent said the RSL had used local builders in the project because he said it was important to support the community that supports the club.