She’s 137 years old, beautiful, but like many of us north of retirement age, a little unstable in parts. "She" is the Warwick Town Hall, still a postcard staple of the Rose City, but unfortunately, despite her photogenic status, not likely to be hosting the shire’s visitor centre anytime soon.
While it is hard to picture Warwick without the iconic Town Hall nestled right in the heart of town, the old lady has “urgent safety” issues requiring an unspecified amount of funding to make safe for the public.
Town Hall is “currently generally in a sound structural condition and is fit for use”, according to engineers, but there are a few “structural concerns” that need immediate attention.
Olivotto Consulting, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane and Warwick, were tapped to do an assessment report in September which was finalised and brought to councillors in the last meeting in December. Councillors unanimously agreed to accept the condition report.
The last time a condition assessment of Town Hall was undertaken was 11 years ago with $1.1 million in repairs meant to be carried out over 15 years.
Council officers told The Town & Country Journal that “immediate safety issues” were “likely addressed at the time” but that “items requiring significant capital investment were deferred”. Staff are aware of the safety concerns with the bell tower and windows.
Highlighted in red by the engineers, the report notes high risk issues including that the bolt and nut assemblies that “are understood” to hold down the flagpole are loose. That "understanding" seems justified, with photos presented to council of nuts clearly not safely tightened. The cast iron balustrade around the top of the bell tower also has corrosion and rot and the engineers “urgently” recommend that it be temporarily removed and remediated or shored up in a safe manner. The roof sheeting is in good condition but the sheeting tiedown “was found to be structurally inadequate” and there are “many areas where the sheeting tiedowns nails had no purchase into the supporting/parent batten” and could be lifted up by hand.
There are some signs of floor deterioration and the fire escape stairs “are likely not compliant with relevant” laws. Some mortar has been lost between sandstone blocks in various areas. The foundation, however, needs work. The engineers found “deterioration” of all support pads ranging from minor to “complete loss”. Since access to under the building is poor, council may have to lift the floors to do this work.
Several windows on the northern side show signs of timber rot which threatens the stability of the glass. The company has asked council to restrict public access in critical areas “until windows are removed and restored”. A plumber at some point installed pipework with “poorly propped” and inappropriate joists which need remediation.
Due to the findings, Councillors agreed to defer the move of the Warwick Visitor Information Centre into the former Wattle Doo space until further notice. Meanwhile, the SDRC will commence a conservation management plan to deal with Town Hall’s ongoing needs.
