The Certifier and the hall.

The results of the Council Certifier’s visit.

Fire safety.

All external doors to open outwards. Inward opening doors can impede exit during an emergency. Only the toilet door had to be changed.

The main doorway (the doorway leading to the deck and the disabled ramp). Panic or crash bars are required to be fitted to both doors. This mechanism allows for a door to be opened quickly and easily when a panicked crowd presses against it in an emergency situation.

Panic Bar

All other exit doors are required to have lever type door handles. Easier to open in an emergency situation

Fire extinguishers and emergency exit signs are mandatory.

The disabled toilet.

Australian standards require that if a building has only one disabled toilet, the toilet pedestal is required to be placed in a corner position, with an appropriate grab rail. The plumbing had to be moved from the origionally designed centre position to the new corner position.

Disabled and ambulatory access.

Disabled car park. We are required to provide a disabled car parking space in close proximity to the disabled ramp, with a hard surface (concrete) and adequate vehicle access  on private property to the disabled car  park.

The main stairs. Hand rails are required to aid ambulant users

The disabled ramp.  Metal hand rails are required to be fitted to the balustrade and kerbs to the floor of the disabled ramp, continuously from the top to the bottom. The kerbs are to be fitted on the ramp at the bottom of the balustrade, and are a barrier mainly to keep wheelchairs safely on the ramp. They are also there to guide the wheels safely up and down the ramp when accidentally maneuvered to the side.

Above from the Australian standard for disabled access.

Tactile surface indicators for the visually impaired are to be fitted to the main stairs and the start and finish of every slope of the disabled ramp. Tactile surface indicators provide a tactile surface on public pathways and access routes that can be felt underfoot and provide a warning of an impending pedestrian hazard, particularly to the vision impaired, and also as an added safety precaution to all pedestrians.

Tactile surface indicator pad.

The certifier’s extra requirements will delay the completion of the renovation until late June.

Mary Valley Voice article

Feedback from the community suggested that there was a need to explain the the steps that led the the renovation of the Obi Obi Hall.

The  article below was placed in the 16th May edition of the Mary Valley Voice.

The Obi Obi hall (now ninety nine years old) is in the final stages of a major renovation with completion expected in June this year. We are upgrading it to current building standards with the addition of toilets, a kitchen and disabled access. Once finished, it will be available for public and private hire, as well as being a centre for community events.

 The hall is owned by three Trustees on behalf of the communities of Kidaman Creek and Obi Obi, one of them being the “Obi Obi and Kidaman Creek District Community Hall Association Inc”. Originally there were separate halls in each community (both built on land donated by local landholders), owned in trust by two different community associations,

The ownership of the Obi Obi hall reverted to the Public Trustee in the 1970’s, due to the death of the last Trustee. In 1995 the Kidaman Creek Hall was demolished by strong winds. After determined fund-raising by the community and assistance from the Jupiter’s Casino Community Benefit Fund, it was replaced by a new “tin shed” hall in October 1998.

In late 1996 the stewardship of the Obi Obi hall property was passed to the Kidaman Creek Community Hall Association Inc. The Association changed both its name and membership eligibility to welcome Obi Obi residents.

 Eventually in 2008, with neither hall able to adequately fulfill the community’s needs, the Kidaman Creek Hall property was sold to provide funds to aid in the renovation of the Obi Obi hall. In 2011 a sucessfull grant application to Sunshine Coast Regional Council provided the extra funds needed to commence the restoration project.

 Over the last 40 years, a core group of local people have maintained interest in and supported the continuation of the presence of the halls in the Kidaman and Obi Obi districts. Without their efforts the ongoing existence of the hall properties and the almost completed restoration of the Obi Obi hall would not have happened.

We look forward to the coming day when the Obi Obi Hall will again play a vital role in our community.