Events disrupted after aircon fails at community centre

Seven major events and people celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and weddings have been disrupted since the airconditioning system at the Strathpine Community Centre broke in January.

While Moreton Bay City Council, which runs the venue, has installed portable airconditioning units and fans, at least one event was cancelled as a result of the system failure.

The Brisbane Miniature Enthusiasts Association, which was to have held its annual Miniatures Show last weekend, announced the event’s cancellation, saying the decision was not taken lightly

Member Leonie Gall, in post on social media, said the group had attempted to find another suitable venue, but could not secure one at short notice.

“This make-shift cooling equipment was quite noisy, and despite some functioning ventilation capacity, these cooling units and fans were insufficient to provide adequate or any cooling for safe operations through a two-day event, and barely reduced the interior temperature at all,” Leonie said.

“Having learned only yesterday of the real extent of the airconditioning failure and had the opportunity to check the actual conditions in the venue for ourselves, and despite our attempt to secure an alternative venue today, our best efforts cannot counteract the last-minute nature of the crisis.”

Ageing system

The Northside Doll Circle was to have staged its Doll, Bear and Craft Show on March 10, but has now rescheduled it for Sunday, June 2.

The broken airconditioning has affected nine regular hirers, such as dance and band meetings, seven major events with more than 100 attendees and 12 weekend casual hirers for activities such as cultural events, wedding receptions and birthdays.

A Council spokesperson says the Strathpine Community Centre has been without airconditioning since January 15.

The spokesperson says the system’s age had caused the failure, but Council was already planning to replace it in the next financial year.

“Council will now carry out interim repairs ahead of a full replacement in the coming financial year,” they say.

Help for hirers

The centre remains open, with parts necessary for the interim repairs at least two weeks away, at which time hirers will be notified if the hall needs to close while work is carried out.

“Council offered a 50 percent discount to hirers if they decided to continue with their booking,” the spokesperson says.

“Some hirers chose to relocate to other halls, which Council co-ordinated by the Halls team.”

The spokesperson says the original air unit dates back to the 1980s but key components have been renewed and updated throughout the system’s lifecycle.

“There were some issues with the system last year and repairs were undertaken,” they say.

“Increased failures are unfortunately more frequent with equipment that is at the end of its serviceable life.”