Corner Inlet Men’s Shed takes the next step

THE recent bout of wild weather wreaked havoc at the building site of the Corner Inlet Men’s Shed at Station Park, Foster.

The formwork and reinforcement were already in place and had it not been for a spell of wet weather, the concrete slab would have been laid. As it was, however, ferocious winds blew down two sides of the cyclone fencing, picked up the heavy reinforcement and left it strewn across the site.

“Luckily, the contractors Paul and Matt, of Paul Jensz Concreting, were quick to respond and were on site the very next morning to recover their materials and clean up the site,” said Graeme Green, secretary of the Corner Inlet Men’s Shed group.

Thankfully, the fencing which had been donated by Troy Cooper of Gippsland Temporary Fencing was only slightly damaged, despite being completely flattened on two sides by the wind and by flying construction materials.

“The Corner Inlet Men’s Shed are very grateful for the speedy and efficient response to the crisis, especially considering that Paul and Matt had to come over from Drouin,” Graeme said.

The shed itself was ordered last week and delivery of the prefabricated components is due today (Wednesday August 13). The dimensions of the shed are 24 metres long by nine metres wide and three metres tall.

“The roof will slope 30 degrees to convey the feeling of the original railway buildings on the site.  The colours will also reflect this heritage, being a cream colour with a deep red roof,” Graeme explained.

There will be roller doors on the eastern, northern and southern walls with the personal access door at the western end – closest to Station Road. Provision has been made for a kitchenette and unisex and disabled toilets.

“Our proposal includes the use of the kitchenette framing for mezzanine storage.  The ceiling and walls will be insulated, with translucent polycarbonate sheeting covering the top of the walls to provide natural lighting,” Graeme said.

“With delivery due this week, it is expected that construction of the shed itself will soon commence, with about a week required to assemble the shed on the slab.

“Once the shed is assembled, work can then commence on construction of the internal framing.  This will obviously give the members of the Men’s Shed ample opportunity to utilise their woodworking skills,” he added.

Members of the Corner Inlet Men’s Shed group are thrilled to see the work progressing and are hopeful that the shed will be officially opened by the end of October.

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