In recent discussions with many members, it is apparent to the Board that whilst we have an amazing facility that is our clubhouse, the expanding and changing needs of members has required a review of these facilities. Along with the recent reduction in available support from Northern Beaches Council, the Board has established a committee to focus on renovations of the Club.
The changes will expand some facilities to meet the growing needs of members and also establish new and sustainable revenue opportunities for the Club. These changes include;
- Members bathroom upgrade
- Gymnasium expansion and upgrade (including the establishment of a physio consultancy room)
- Operable front window replacement
- Establishment of a commercial Kiosk
- Relocation of the club clothing store
To fund these required changes, the Board submitted an application for the 2024/25 NSW Surf Club Facility Program in November last year. The NSW Government recognises the critical role Surf Life Saving Clubs have in local communities delivering on-beach safety, training and education and keeping people active and connected. The Surf Club Facility Program (the Program) is part of the NSW Government’s ongoing commitment to support the upgrade of local Surf Life Saving Clubs. The Program is in its eighth year, and since round one (2017/2018) the NSW Government has invested over $28 million in Surf Life Saving Clubs to create fit-for-purpose facilities in local communities to increase participation, access, and safety on our NSW beaches.
- Reduce barriers to participation in sport and recreation for everyone but particularly for women and girls, people with disability, First Nations peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and LGBTQIA+ people
- Increase the use of Surf Life Saving facilities by other community groups and/or
the public - Improve safety at Surf Life Saving facilities and the beaches they patrol
- Improve the financial and/or environmental sustainability of Surf Clubs.
The categories are defined by the total project cost of the scope of works for which you are applying. Queenscliff has applied for a Category 2 Grant.
Category 2 – Small-Medium Construction Projects – Projects with a total project cost from $100,000 up to $500,000, provides grants from $30,000 up to $400,000 per project. Applications in this category require a financial co-contribution that is a minimum 25% of the grant amount requested.
The Members Bathroom upgrade will concentrate on a refit and upgrade of both bathrooms downstairs. This will provide members and guests a better experience in the bathrooms. As the ‘Bombora’ functions product continues to rapidly expand, we have received feedback from customers that the bathrooms of our facility, when comparing to other conference or wedding venues are not as refined. We see that upgrading the bathrooms will bring us more weddings and conferences in the future, further growing our function revenue.
The Gymnasium expansion will see the size of the gym double. This is a direct response to the increasing members use of this great facility but will also assist our competition team with improved training facilities. We have decided to include a physio consultation room within the gym. It will be sought to engage with a local physio to rent the room from us on a permanent basis which will provide onsite physio services for our members but also provide the club an ongoing and sustainable new revenue stream.
The front window that was installed by Channel 10 over 10 years ago has been inoperable for some time. The grant will assist in the replacement of this window which will create an open atmosphere for functions and assist in cooling the club during hot days.
We intend to establish a kiosk facility downstairs with an open service window for customers. We will be seeking tender responses later this year from local kiosk operators wishing to rent this space within the club to provide these services. The Board and House Committee has sought much advice on this from other clubs such as South Curl Curl and Mona Vale who both recently opened or expanded their own café and kiosk operations. We believe a third-party operator, where the club provides the space and receives monthly rent, is the most favourable model for us to follow. This will provide a new and sustainable revenue stream for the club.
Finally, in order to make space for the kiosk we plan to relocate and refit the club clothing store to a space on the beach side of the club. In recent times, the clothing store has gone from strength to strength and has been very popular with Nippers and club members. The team have delivered a growing revenue stream for the club whilst offering new and appealing club items for sale.
The total cost of the project has been estimated at $248,800. The grant applied for totalled $186,600. Therefore we are seeking for the club to contribute $62,200 from existing club savings towards these projects. With the new revenue stream being created, we estimate the return on members investment is 2 years, but obviously the revenue will continue indefinitely.
We are currently in the process of working with Northern Beaches Council through the many approvals needed for this project. We are aiming to formally submit the Development Application at the end of February. Of the multiple meetings we have had with Council thus far, they are in principle support of our plans. Works will take approximately 3 months. The club will be available for use during this entire period as the works will be stage in order to minimise any disruption to members. We are also looking at schedule works during non-peak times for club activities.
The proposed plans are included below and over the coming weeks, we will be displaying boards showing the detail of each of the five aspects of this projects. We welcome members questions and input. If you wish to email me any questions or provide comment, please do not hesitate.
Brad Newton, General Activities Director
generalactivities@queenscliffslsc.org.au
