The CPPA project for the year- Kitchen Refurb

The CPPA Committee has been busy behind the scenes focussing attention on refurbishing our community-owned hall.

As you may recall, in 2022 the discovery of a substantial termite infestation in the kitchen required not only the treatment of the hungry wood-munchers but also removal and reinforcing of internal walls as well as cupboards and infrastructure in half of the kitchen. Funding was sought to address these issues. A total of $16,500 was received:a $500 donation from the Lions Club of Toronto, $8000 from the Eraring Site Community support program and $8000 from the Local Small Commitments allocation grant from the NSW government. These funds are committed to repairing half of the kitchen and installing new items such as storage cupboards, deep sinks, taps and energy efficient cooking facilities.

Once work commenced however, more damage was discovered and this required the rest of the kitchen to be considered for repair, cupboards to be removed, additional plaster boarding, insulation of the external walls and a custom-built window to be installed (made possible by Langfords Windows, who we thank for the community discount and installation support).

Compounding the renovation budget and timeline has been the increase in prices of materials and availability of trades, issues which are being felt across the broader community. An initial quote for the additional work was $18,680.

These proposed new works prompted strategic discussions about the future use of the hall, how much of the CPPA funds to commit and what work to undertake.

Progress Hall is a substantial community asset. Built in 1951 by local community fundraising, Progress Hall is one of the few wholly community owned halls in the city. It is the CPPA and NOT Council which owns Progress Hall, and, as such, the CPPA is responsible for its upkeep and all costs associated with owning a building that is available for community use.

The outcome of the CPPA committee discussion was an enthusiastic endorsement about refurbishing the kitchen to optimise community utilisation of Progress Hall into the future.

The refurbishment will position the hall as:

• a highly versatile and energy efficient space for hosting community events that require modern kitchen facilities to cater for a crowd,
• an assembly room to play a role in providing a comfortable gathering place on extreme weather days,
• a venue to accommodate hosting social activities including musical and comedy events, to connect our community,
• a gathering place for people interested in community conversations around collaborative housing initiatives to support ageing in place in a bushland suburb.

The CPPA is seeking community support to complete the refurbishment of the kitchen at Progress Hall.

We are endeavouring to raise $15,000 by the end of the financial year.

Once the kitchen refurbishment is complete an upgrade of the toilets will be undertaken to make the three existing toilets accessible and unisex to optimise efficiency of usage. If we exceed our fundraising goal, additional funds will be directed to the toilet trio upgrade.

Hiring the hall is one of the main income sources for the CPPA, the other being sponsorship of the Chronicle. Whilst the kitchen is currently unusable, hall hire options are limited to the few groups who do not require kitchen facilities.

Whilst the Chronicle production is currently irregular, additional support from the community is being sought to offset the loss from newsletter sponsorship income.

If you own or have connections with a local business and would like to be a sponsor of the Kitchen Refurb project, sponsorship is tax deductible and will be recognised in future Chronicle updates, on facebook and on a permanent plaque erected in the hall.

If you are a community member and would like to donate towards your community hall, we can offer you our sincere thanks. The CPPA is a registered charity, so rest assured the donation will be directed to the refurbishment project.

How to help!

Invoices can be issued for business sponsorships, email cppatreasurer@gmail.com

If you would like to deposit directly into the dedicated account for the refurb project, send an email to cppatreasurer@gmail.com, so a receipt can be forwarded.

BSB 650000

Account # 543115605

Ref: your surname