Railway Estate Community Centre gets new lease on life

The Railway Estate Community Centre has been given a new lease on life after being severely damaged during the unprecedented monsoon earlier this year.

The building was inundated with up to 500mm of water throughout and has been undergoing extensive renovations so it could be reopened to the community.

Townsville Local Recovery and Resilience Group Chair Cr Les Walker said it was fantastic to see the community centre reopen for locals to book out and use.

“There are several community groups that book the Railway Estate Community Centre on a regular basis and it’s great that we can get them back into the centre now,” Cr Walker said.

“It’s another stepping stone in the pathway to recovery and Council is thrilled the building is ready to be booked out and used.

“Groups like the Kelso Country Music Club have already secured their regular time slots and it’s a good feeling to see groups like them getting back to a sort of normalcy.”

The newly repaired community centre will include a new electronic locking system that will keep the building secure and make it easier for the facility users to get access to the centre.

Infrastructure Committee Chair Cr Mark Molachino said the repairs to the building has seen it be transformed into an almost brand-new space.

“This building was completely inundated, and we’ve been able to fit it out with new walls and floors, replaced the kitchen and install new toilets while making the whole building disability accessible.

“There is also a solar array room to store electricity and keep the running costs of the whole building down which is great.

“This really is a space for the community and it’s great that we were able to get it back up and running and better than ever for those that use it.”

/Public Release. View in full here.