The Willow Tree Bowling Club is on the verge of rising from the ashes, as the committee prepares to lodge a Development Application with Liverpool Plains Shire Council that will see an all new modernised community asset built in its place.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On January 3 2017 the community and members could only watch on as the 60 year old building was razed to the ground, although every dark cloud has a silver lining.
The story so far:
President Peter Wilkinson said that with the insurance aspect now behind them and the money in their pocket, the club is preparing final plans to put before members and council.
“We are still going to be a bowling club, but we are also looking at giving the club flexibility into the future with a bit of a modern spin,” he said.
“We are going to have the bar lounge and bistro with a commercial kitchen, but we are also putting in a children’s play area, as well as a viewing area over the tennis courts and bowling green.”
There is more good news for the local bowling community who have been forced to travel for their weekly bowls and tournaments for the past 18 months, with the green almost ready to roll again.
“We have got the bowling green back to almost being playable again,” Mr Wilkinson said.
“Now we just need somewhere to play out of again and we will be good to go.
“We have kept most of the members in the loop and part of the process, but we also hope the fresh new look can bring in some fresh new members as well.”
Meanwhile the fire investigation concluded that it was an electrical fire, and while there was no exact determination, “the heat source has been traced back to an electrical fault.”
The club is now looking to expedite the rebuilding process so the club can get “up and running by this time next year.”
“In the next week we are going to put out a general expression of interest to see if any local contractors are interested in doing the build,” Mr Wilkinson said.
