To Members From President
On behalf of the Board of Directors I am writing to advise of the current status of the Drummoyne Sailing Club’s draft masterplan to redevelop its facilities, and to provide you with visibility of the proposed conceptual design.
As set out in the Club’s Strategic Plan, we are committed to the continuing development of the Club’s facilities to enhance the standing of the Club and the sailing community, while also ensuring that the Club remains financially viable and sustainable.
Drummoyne Sailing Club has been active on the site since 1913, and in mid-2001 we moved into the current building. The Club serves both local residents and sailing communities.
We are a sailing club first and need to ensure we keep our proud sailing heritage at the forefront of our objectives. We enjoy being at a terrific location. I am sure you will agree that there have been substantial improvements in recent years in respect of the Club’s management and customer service focus, and commercially we are making strong progress since Covid restrictions, where we showed our resilience. Facilities such as the bathrooms, the upstairs bar and the sailors bar have improved over time, however there is significant work still to do and this continues to be planned as we start to outgrow our current facilities.
It is appreciated that it may be some time before such plans are considered for implementation, but it is an important role of the Board to develop and provide such long-term objectives for its members.
Proposed Conceptual Design
Led by the Board, a Drummoyne Sailing Club Development Steering Committee was set up in early 2020 to develop a strategic masterplan for the long-term expansion of the Club’s sailing and social facilities. Following a tender process AJC were selected to undertake this work.
The proposed conceptual design is now at a stage to share with members. A preview is available via the link below. It has been developed to address requirements based on membership feedback, having regard to site constraints and energy efficiencies.
In this respect it is important to acknowledge the information provided by members in 2017 and mid-2021 in response to a membership survey to continue to improve the overall experience within the Club. This feedback is important, and has influenced the development of priorities and options for the proposed expansion and revitalisation of the Club’s facilities.
Accordingly, as set out by the Board, an architectural brief was established to explore options for redevelopment of the Club’s facilities to:
- accommodate the growth of membership and facilities,
- strengthen the connection between the local and sailing communities,
- strongly consider environmentally sustainable design initiatives such as water conservation, solar cells, and thermal efficiency on the building design.
Staged Approach
In considering the proposed conceptual design it is important to appreciate that the Club’s development will follow a multi-stage process. This approach is required not only from a financial perspective, but also to enable the ongoing operations of the Club throughout all stages of redevelopment works. In this respect, a priority of the Board is to ensure that any works undertaken are not then required to be re-developed or ‘wasted’ to accommodate subsequent works at a later stage.
Each stage seeks to address and improve a key part of the Club. For example, expansion of boat storage facilities is planned for stage 3 of the development works. This is due to the disruption, expense and complexity of further excavation.
It is acknowledged however, that the current sailing storage facilities need to be addressed well ahead of this stage. In the immediate future the Board will therefore be requesting work to be undertaken to address more efficient storage of boats and sailing equipment, and better organise lower carparking arrangements.
Further Information
An information session, detailing each of the proposed stages that will result in the finished Club images linked below has been arranged on Monday 22 May 2023 at 1830 in the downstairs Sailors’ Bar. Interested members are invited to attend and can RSVP by clicking on the link below.
Additionally, if it assists, a printed version of the proposed conceptual design will be on display within the Club in the coming days. More detailed information will be available on the Club’s website in the days after the information session for anyone unable to attend.
Regards
Tim Valtwies
President