The Beagle Editor,
The layout of the BBCC was thoughtfully designed by Phil Rose a local Narooma architect of long standing and experience.
Phil successfully designed a building that the locals would feel at home in e.g. plenty of natural light filled rooms.
Note that the Mayors own office is 48m2, larger than one of the proposed new community meeting rooms.

Above: a superimpose of the proposed 3 "meeting rooms" of the new Mackay Park Centre over the floor plan of the current, purpose built, Batemans Bay Community Centre. The promised community space is far from the like-for-like that was first promised to the community to gain their approval to consider selling their existing Centre.
Looking at the forest of piles going down at the Aquatic centre site and the stockpile still to be driven into the swamp below I wondered whether another site on better ground was considered. Perhaps southwards closer to the population centre - Council’s land opposite the ambulance station at Surf Beach is still looking for a purpose.
A similar centre with 50m pool opened this year at Stromlo in ACT for approx. $36m. Even allowing for an additional theatre an awful lot of the $70m must be below ground. All this of course is now idle thinking, but was a Value Assessment ever done?
The Batemans Bay community are being short-changed horribly on this deal to lease out the BBCC. If Council plays the good samaritan card on this (below market value rent) they will be doing the NSW Gov’t’s job with the ratepayers money.
Health, Education and Social Housing is the NSW Government’s responsibility and job to pay for rather than expensive stadiums and other pork barrels. Council should support SEARMS and ask the NSW Government for appropriate funding that will allow SEARMS to deliver their housing management services within a commercial regime.
Ross Hayward
Broulee