‘BATS and cracks’ would be an apt short phrase for describing the problems ailing the Old Shire Hall in Coleraine’s main street.

With the east and west wings both unable to be put to use due to bats infesting the ceiling in both areas and unsightly widening fractures in some of the walls warning of even more serious problems at the base of the building, some community members have decided something needed to be done urgently.

With life returning to normal post-COVID restrictions, the hope to see the internal rooms get put to good regular use was part of the vision of The Committee for the Old Shire Hall and its president, Dy Bain.

“Now (we’ve) put a couple of smaller rooms in the centre of the building that are available for small group meetings, writing groups, craft groups, even small business meetings,” she said.

But after the initial huge clean-up and some limited use beginnings, she wants to see the remainder of the building open; the rooms are larger and thus suitable for musical events, dances, art shows, movie nights and childrens’ activities.

“(We’ve) still got a bat problem, which prevents us from using the wings,” Ms Bain said.

“Unfortunately we’re unable to do anything about moving the bats on to bat boxes and that sort of thing and relocating them until the underpinning of the building has been looked into and we can seal the gaps up between the roof and the external wall.

“The verbal quote we had to get that job done is anything between $112,000 and $140,000.

“You can’t just put foam into the gaps, it has to be done in such a way that the building is stabilised.

“It’s not an easy job and that’s why it’s going to be so expensive.

“It’s going to take up about a month to complete the job because it’s got to be done gradually.

“It’s not something you can just stick a couple of concrete bolsters underneath and say ‘there you go’, it’s got to be done slowly – it’s a big job.”

The floods Coleraine has experienced over the last decade or so haven’t helped either.

“Apparently if something had been done after the last major floods, we wouldn’t be in the same situation now,” Ms Bain said.

The building’s compromised condition was also a result of being caught in somewhat of a bureaucratic impasse, with the land managed by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DEWLP), but the building was owned by the Southern Grampians Shire.

Ms Bain said she realised it will be a huge amount of money to raise, but believed it was worth it as the community would thrive due to the hall’s central location.

With plans to move the Coleraine Information Centre to the hall and allow its current location to be redeveloped as part of the relocation of the caravan park, she was confident it would give the town a great boost.

But in the meantime, Ms Bain said the practical reality of the physical condition of the building needed to be addressed.

“We’ve got a lot more work to do coordinating funding opportunities and trying to get that sort of money together,” she said.

Seeing the public come and have a look at the hall recently was part of the plan and she was grateful to get the support of the local Bendigo Bank in the form of a cheque for $500 to give the repair fund a kick along.

“The Bendigo Bank are always a great resource for any community,” Ms Bain said.