Demolition begins at historic courts

Asbestos removal has begun at the old Korumburra Tennis clubrooms, with the building expected to be pulled down from next week.

Korumburra Tennis Club president Chris Amor said he understood asbestos was being removed from the main building and toilet block from Wednesday, September 2.

That work is expected to continue for the rest of the week, before the wider demolition begins.

“It’s the first stage of pulling it down,” Mr Amor said.

“Once they’ve got that out, which should hopefully be this week, then next week they start pulling it down.”

The demolition is expected to take between two and three weeks, bringing an end to more than six decades of use for the double-storey clubrooms, which opened around 1960.

The courts are currently closed.

Mr Amor said there would be no public access throughout the month of September.

The car park has been fenced off, along with the court closest to the old building, and contractors and heavy vehicles will also be moving through the site.

“We’ve just decided that for the month of September, we’re going to have no access to our courts,” he said.

“There are no competitions this month, so it’s easier just to say that there’s no access to the public, and that way, no one gets in the way of builders and contractors, or trucks going in and out.”

The closure of the courts isn’t expected to have a major impact on competition tennis, with the new season beginning in October.

Meanwhile, work on the replacement clubrooms is progressing fast.

The official completion date for the new rooms is December 2, but Mr Amor said the project was reportedly ahead of schedule.

Concrete has been poured outside the building, while internal flooring work is underway.

“By all reports, it’s ahead of time,” he said.

“You never know what’s going to happen, but we’re hoping maybe that month early.”

The old clubrooms received their send-off in July, when more than 70 people attended the club’s “celebration of memories and new beginnings.”

Past and present players, former presidents, life members and everyone in between came together to admire old trophies and photos that brought back plenty of stories.

“It was awesome,” Mr Amor said.

“I must’ve been in the back room for five or so minutes, talking to someone and showing them all the old trophies, and when I came out, there were 60 people and the room was noisy.

“It’s always good when you’re in a room and it’s noisy. It means people are talking and mingling.”

The new single-storey facility is being built near the lower courts and will provide accessible entry from the car park.

Once the demolition of the old rooms is complete, that site will become additional parking.

The $1.75 million project is supported by $1 million from the Victorian Government and $725,000 from South Gippsland Shire Council, with the club contributing $25,000.