Community Centre again

Wed 30 Aug 2017, 00:11 (last edited on Wed 30 Aug 2017, 00:14)

Gordon- what a very sad reflection on the efforts of large parts of the Charlbury Community to create something very special in our Town. It is however accepted that there are some people that do not wish the community centre to succeed but I can assure you they are now very much in the minority following comments from those that have seen the centre!

To answer the points you raise more fully, I think it would be fair to say that we all accept as a community, that the building ideally would have been built out of a combination of more Cotswold Stone, wood, glass and modern materials but the budget didn't allow for this option. It took 20 years to get to where we are - and there was a real chance we would lose what funding had been achieved. OCC had a budget of £355,000 and this was at real risk! If you want to lead the march on replacing the cladding there is opportunity; as the frame is designed that it can be replaced, Budget c £750,000! You may also recall that the Town Council dropped £20,000 of the landscaping budget at their meeting which would have gone towards reducing the visual impact of the new centre in favour of funding towards the Sports and Social Club (a cause which I personally support).

With regard to usage, as a coach of both teams in the youth football and cricket clubs I am extremely excited about the opportunity afforded to us to train in the new centre. I compare this to training on an undersized tarmac area, covered in leaves in mid November! Many weeks cancelled due to health and safety reasons last year! My football and cricket teams have booked an hour a week each to train here and i understand that block bookings are approaching 80% capacity!

Finally, as a resident of Charlbury, I see the corner house, memorial hall and community centre having the potential to offer the community a wonderful array of facilities. All visitors to the community centre to date seem very positive and I would urge you to visit the centre and see the comparison! They are all complimentary! The trustees are exhausted at getting the centre ready to open and have no interest in taking over any other assets in the town. They would however support and offer advice of their experiences, if that was thought to be of benefit.

I do think its time that we give the centre and other assets of the town the opportunity to thrive. We could replace the cladding but the money would be much better spent on enhancing Charlbury's other facilities.

Before anybody comments further, please go and see the facility. It may not be totally for you but it undoubtedly offers something for the community! Please be balanced if not positive!!