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The Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley has begun planning for a new ‘purpose-built’ child care facility in Kununurra. Shire President Barbara Johnson called a special council meeting after findings revealed that severe termite damage to the Ewin Centre building had compromised the structural integrity of the building making some areas unsafe to access. When undertaking maintenance works to repair termite damage more damage was identified than previously expected. A structural engineer was called in to determine the safety of the building. The engineer recommended the immediate closure of parts of the building because of structurally inadequacies, caused by termite damage in the roof and wall structures. |
Works to replace the roof structure and repair walls were estimated to cost more than $200,000. After considering a variety of options, council decided that it would be more cost effective to construct a new facility that could meet both the short and long term needs of the community, rather than spend funds on repairing the existing facility. The Shire is currently in the process of engaging an architect to design a new facility and is planning to complete the design and begin construction as soon as practical. While not confirmed, the preferred site for the facility seems to be on the corner of Chestnut and Coolibah Drives adjacent to the Kununurra TAFE. It is anticipated that the new centre will be constructed within 12 months at a cost of up to $1.5 million. |
Until the new centre is constructed, long day care services will operate from the Pindan Centre. Additionally, the Kununurra District High School has assisted by offering a room to operate after school care programs. The Ewin Centre is currently seeking approval from the Child Care Licensing Board to operate the service from the school. The Ewin Centre management committee said that they were pleased that the council had acted so promptly and positively and that they looked forward to working with the Shire to establish the new purpose-built centre. The committee thanked the parents and staff for their cooperation and understanding during recent times. |