GOULBURN Mulwaree Council’s decision to keep its Clinton St office building offers a prime opportunity, says Cr Robin Saville.
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He’s proposing the spacious structure be used to house the St Clair archives, saving $4 million to $5m.
It’s just one option Council will consider following last Tuesday’s decision not to sell the building.
The two-storey office did not attract one bid at auction on September 18.
The building is currently leased to the NSW Department of Corrective Services for $440,000 per year, which will leave a “significant hole in the budget” when it departs the building in June 2016, a report to the meeting stated.
Now, general manager Warwick Bennett will liaise with Government Property NSW to investigate options and opportunities for their continued lease of 56 Clinton St, at least for part of the building.
Mr Bennett will also report back to Council the estimated refurbishment costs and due diligence on options for either commercial, Council or community use.
It is these possibilities that excite Cr Saville, who would like to relocate the archival storage from St Clair to the Clinton St building.
“It did not attract a bid, so we have tested the market and now we can look at other options,” Cr Saville said.
CR Saville is a member of the St Clair working party. He said the St Clair archives desperately need a new building.
“The current quarters at St Clair are cramped and damp and it leaks,” he told the Goulburn Post.
“In comparison, Clinton St is spacious. It is a great building.
“Goulburn and District Historical Society wants to build a new building to house the archives out the back of St Clair at a cost of $4m to $5m.
“But if we sell 56 Clinton St for $4m to $5m, we have to give Upper Lachlan Shire Council one quarter of it. If we keep it we don’t have to give them anything.
“We will also save $4m to $5m from building a new facility at St Clair. Councillors also have to consider the financials on this. It is a great prospect; one floor could be devoted to archives and one floor to research and the other floor could be rented out. There is also room left for commercial use. The working party needs to consider it from many different angles.
“There are huge benefits in keeping the building and I will raise all of these points again at a later workshop.”
In a preliminary report from the St Clair working party, Cr Saville listed the following problems with the existing archive storage at St Clair:
* Insufficient space for current collection. Growth over the next 20 years is expected to require double the current space;
* Storage areas are not well organised, cluttered and often on the floor;
* The sheds are not sealed from dust or bugs or insulated and often have water/moisture through them due to the slope of the property;
* Collection difficult and unsafe to access for research or for moving between storage and display area because of numerous stairs/storage spaces and clutter;
* Current shelving is often too high;
* Shelving in some areas are wood composite which produce vapours harmful to metal, cellulose/paper and glass objects;
* Windows in storage rooms reduce temperature control and provide access for dust;
* Access to rooms by pigeons;
* When the 2007 survey was carried out the drought had caused cracks in the fabric of the building which let in dust, light, heat, bugs, etc;
* No separate workroom area;
* No separate area for receiving and assessing donations so that they will not contaminate stored objects, and
* The current security is inadequate with only gates at the front and lockable doors and windows. The report also states research at St Clair must be carried out in one of the Museum rooms on a single table with limited space and lighting and no climate control.
“All activities, research/study/note-taking etc, including making tea/coffee is carried out in a confined space in the St Clair Villa,” the report stated.
“This restricts the comfort and effective long-term work of researchers and has the potential to interfere with and restrict museum visitors.”