Perthville Development Group's financial pain as it waits for hall to be repaired

Bathurst Regional Council closed the Perthville Community Hall in early July, 2021 due to concerns about the integrity of the blockwork facade, which had experienced significant structural issues.

Nearly a year later, though, repairs have yet to be carried out.

This has left the Perthville Development Group in a difficult position, unable to make any money from hiring out the hall, nor use it for their own events.

It comes on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also stripped the group of hall hirers and event opportunities.

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Vice president of the group, John Trollor, said the biggest concern has been the inability to hold the Perthville Village Fair.

"We have not been able to have our major fundraiser for the last three years, basically two years because of COVID and this last year mainly because the hall is closed, and it looks as though we may not be able to have our annual fair this year because it's in early September and if somebody started work on the hall in the next two weeks and it took two months, we wouldn't have enough time to organise, and indeed all our regular stallholders would have gone elsewhere I expect," he said.

Ken Hamer, the group's president, said "the committee is going broke fast" as a result of not being able to use the hall.

It costs the group approximately $7500 per year to manage the facility.

Last week, the group wrote to council to express concern about the lengthy closure of the hall and the lack of communication about plans for the repairs.

"Perthville has a great committee of dedicated volunteers. They are getting very disheartened by the length of time the hall has been out of action and the lack of feedback from Bathurst Regional Council," Mr Hamer said.

The Western Advocate contacted council for an update on the repairs and, in a statement on June 8, was told work would be starting imminently.

"Investigations undertaken to determine the cause of the issues have revealed that a number of factors contributed to the facade's structural failure, which has taken a substantial period to adequately evaluate and review," director of Engineering Services, Darren Sturgiss, said.

"Council's engineering department have now determined the most appropriate way forward in resolving the issue and returning the hall to use, with works expected to commence imminently."

The following morning, council wrote to members of the Perthville Development Group to inform them that works would begin within two weeks, subject to weather.

No information has been made available with regard to how long the repair work will take.

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