FLOOD RECOVERY UPDATE

Recovery efforts continue with the flood event in Scotch Oakburn Park with respect to necessary cleaning and restoration.  Grounds and Work teams, and external contractors continue to monitor the situation and provide necessary support in assisting with restoration processes.  An update on the process follows:

• Since the extraction of the water, the College quickly engaged external contractors to screed tonnes of silt and mud from the playing fields to reduce the impact on subsoils.  Whilst, screeding did assist with removing debris, silt and mud, unfortunately, the length of time water was present on the fields affected the subsoil and we are looking at a similar restoration as seen in 2016.
• We have been lucky in experiencing some sunny and windy weather, since the flood, to dry excess silt and mud, allowing for excavation from the drainage systems on the Keith McLaughlan, David Chugg, David Dixon and Pierre Lecomte Ovals.  In total, approximately 3000 cubic metres of silt/mud has been removed from the fields and surrounding areas.
• The College is working with local Council Flood Authorities to assess and remove recent debris which has been deposited within the park riverine areas, to ensure the safety of students and reduce potential future impacts on bridge structures.
• Cleaning of all buildings, structures and contents has now been completed.  Whilst this cleaning process has enabled some functional operations to commence in the workshop and storage facilities, the restoration of bathrooms and change rooms in the pavilion requires further work to ensure they are safe for use.
• The tennis courts have been cleaned and are currently being reviewed to determine any potential damage.  The flood caused some significant damage to the fencing surrounding these courts which has been reviewed and will be replaced.  It is estimated the courts will be operational in Term 1 2023.
• Further restoration activities will continue with external contractors over the Christmas and New Year holidays.  It is projected these contractors will be able to restore the Workshop, Pavilion and Education Outdoors buildings in preparation for use in Term 1 2023.
• Bushby Oval sustained the least amount of damage and is recovering well, and restoration processes have seen good revival of turf on the oval and cricket pitch. Restoration of other ovals will not occur until the new year due to contractors’ availability with an estimated completion date allowing use by the start of Term 2, weather permitting.
• The loss of sporting equipment and small goods was significant throughout the flood event.  A detailed list of this equipment has been compiled, photographed, and presented for the Loss Adjuster to consider replacement.
• Rowing activities continue to occur with limited impact from the flood event.  To date, the pontoon engineering work has not been completed and will be monitored over the holiday break.
• The College is currently seeking advice on developing physical strategies to ensure the sustainability of the park for future flooding events.  Strategies include developing mechanisms to reduce the impact of water inundation, ensuring buildings and items contained within are less affected during flood events enabling cleaning and reusing rather than replacing.