Massive concrete pour at Cowes Community Centre

THE $27.2 million Cowes Cultural and Community Centre is right on target for its planned end-of-March-2023 completion date.

And the next week will be a key stage of the project when upwards of 750 metres of concrete will be poured from Saturday or in the first few days of next week.

Workers were seen this week fitting together the last pieces of a huge waffle-pod jigsaw and preparing the formwork for the pour, expected to be the second biggest in the shire in the past year.

The $115 million Wonthaggi Hospital pour was bigger.

The progress at the Cowes CCC rated a mention in the Bass Coast Shire Council’s ‘Quarterly Community Report’ ending March 2022, where it was noted that the project was 15 per cent complete.

Two months later, and with the concrete pour imminent, it must be well ahead of that.

Features of the new Cowes Cultural and Community Centre will include: Library, Museum, Visitor Information, Theatre, Café/Box Office, Function/Meeting Rooms, Gallery, Grand Hall, Community Kitchen, Genealogy and Historical Society.

“Bass Coast Shire Council is working alongside Phillip Island Contemporary Exhibition Space Inc to transform the temporary fence surrounding the Cowes CCC into an exhibition. Highlighting 28 talented artists, the exhibition brings a plain plywood wall to life with colour and interest.

“The exhibition will take place during the construction of this project.”

Despite the use of conventional building methods, the centre was designed, is being built and will be certified to Passivhaus Standards, according to the shire, "making it the most environmentally significant building in the region".