FREO’S MEN OF STEEL

 

 

Freo’s Men of Steel. A graphic photo of the construction work on the Fremantle Walyalup Civic Centre at Kings Square.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE’S GLASS IS HALF FULL

 

 

The first of the large vertical framed glass panels are being installed at the Fremantle Walyalup Civic Centre at Kings Square and they are looking good.

Roel Loopers

SECOND ROUNDHOUSE FOR FREO

 

 

I only noticed it yesterday afternoon that Fremantle has a second Roundhouse. The so-called drum of the new Walyalup Civic Centre at Kings Square resembles the old gaol at Arthur’s Head.

Roel Loopers

A MULTICULTURAL FREO CIVIC CENTRE

 

 

I have not posted anything for a while about the Walyalup Civic Centre construction at Fremantle’s Kings Square, so here some photos I took an hour ago.

While I was admiring all the massive steel on view a worker on the site lamented that almost everything used for the building is imported. He said all the steel came from Vietnam, while they were waiting for the large glass panels to come from China, as they were in Singapore at the moment. We are getting a very multicultural new council house. The lack of manufacturing in Australia is indeed and issue.

The Moreton Bay fig tree that will be relocated from Ord Street in front of The Fremantle Arts Centre to Kings Square is imminent. It will be done this month I was told by the City’s Kings Square project director Russell Kingdom, so that will be a spectacular sight.

The construction of the playground will also commence as soon as the civic centre building is completed, and that will be in the first quarter of next year, so not that long to go.

Roel Loopers

KINGS SQUARE LEASING REALITY

 

There is an interesting article in the West Australian today that took me back to the community outrage about Fremantle Council offering years of free rent plus fit out expenses for a hospitality operator in the new Walyalup Civic Centre.

The story in the West reports that developer Okeland Communities  has offered a cafe 12 months rent free plus thousands of dollars each month to keep operating. The cafe comes with $ 60,000 worth of equipment and furniture.

The commercial reality is that most commercial properties are leased rent free for years with fit out incentives, and more support might be required because of the Covid-19 pandemic and uncertain future.

Since the deal with the Bar Orient owner did not go ahead at Kings Square it is a worry that the Fremantle civic centre might open next year with the prominent corner at Queen Street being vacant.

It is good to hear though that the Department of Communities staff is making a difference in Fremantle, with many hospitality traders around Kings Square reporting an increase in their lunch trade.

There was a smoking ceremony for the staff this morning with Minister Simone McGurk, but the Government Media Department and the Minister’s office failed to let me know, which is disappointing, as I would have loved to take some photos.

Roel Loopers

COMMUNITIES STAFF SUPPORTING FREO TRADERS

 

 

I am delighted to hear reports back from food traders around Kings Square that the 1,750 staff of the Communities Department are making a positive difference.

Several operators told me that their lunchtime trade  has picked up considerably since the state department moved to Fremantle.

Roel Loopers

GREAT VIBE IN AWAKENED FREO

 

 

There has been a really good vibe in Fremantle this week and a real buzz around town with so many people walking the streets.

The opening of the Fremantle Markets was significant and the number of people, partly due to school holidays, was impressive.

Also a great idea by the City of Fremantle to offer familiarisation tours for the 1,750 staff of the Communities Department, who have moved into their new offices at Kings Square.

I bumped into a group, conducted by Michael Deller of Fremantle Tours yesterday, that was also attended by Mayor Bard Pettitt.

I believe Freo is on the right track to recovery, but it needs all our support, so BUY LOCAL or BYE, BYE, LOCAL!

Roel Loopers

DETAILS OF WALYALUP CIVIC CENTRE FINANCES

 

This Wednesday’s FPOL Committee of Fremantle Council will address some items concerning the Annual Electors Meeting, which was held early this year. This one concerning the finances of the new Walyalup Civic Centre. Below an edited version of the agenda item.

This report considers a motion moved at the Annual General Meeting of Electors on 9 March 2020 which recommended that:

“It is proposed that the City of Fremantle engage the Auditor General to conduct a Post Investment Review of the construction of the new Civic Administration building in Kings Square, and provide a public report as to whether it has been implemented in accordance with the approved 2012 Kings Square Business Case, and whether the $50 million project investment has been in the best interest of Fremantle ratepayers.

The report should highlight any differences between the 2012 Business Case, as approved by Council, with particular focus on the following:

• Has the total cost of the Admin building been constrained to the cost stated in the 2012 Business Case, including all cost associated with the projects dating back to the approval of the Business Case by Council in early 2013?
• Has the City of Fremantle been successful in delivering on its financial risk management strategy, where it clearly stated that all cost over-runs would be managed via a fixed price contract for the building construction, where the contractor would be liable for cost overruns – not the City of Fremantle?
• Was the Admin building funded via Project Financing, as clearly stated in the 2012 Business Case, whereby the project would not require funds to be drawn from the City’s other sources of financing. In other words, was any debt associated with the project ring-fenced to the project itself rather than putting an additional debt burden on Fremantle ratepayers?”

The Kings Square Business Plan was prepared for Council and publicly advertised in the second half of 2012 and adopted by Council in February 2013. The Plan provided the following costs for the construction of the new civic building;

Civic Centre and Library $16,779,883

Administration $27,564,642

TOTAL $44,344,525

These costs included demolition, base build and fit-out.

When budgeting for these works in subsequent years the City applied the Consumer Price Index (Perth) increases to the figures used in the original Plan. These were applied as follows;

Year

2014/15: $45,807,894

2015/16: $46,357,589

2016/17: $46,589,377

2017/18: $46,915,502

In late 2017 the City awarded a contract for the demolition of the former civic building and in late 2018 awarded a contract for the construction of the new civic, library and administration building and more recently a contract for additional furniture not contained in the construction contract. These amounts were for;

Demolition $ 2,383,743

Civic, Library, Administration $43,461,128

Additional Fit out/Furniture* $ 661,000

TOTAL $46,505,871

*(Not included in construction contract).

The project has been funded through reserve funds generated from the sale of property and debt funding as described in the Plan as below;

Reserves $29,550,000

Loan $20,000,000

TOTAL $49,550,000

Council meetings are in situ again and open to the public at the North Fremantle Community Centre, starting at 6pm.

Roel Loopers

 

STUNNING MORNING IN FREMANTLE

 

 

What a stunning morning in Fremantle! It was crisp on my way to Chalkys cafe, but the walk back home was worth coping with the chill when I took these three photos of our beautiful city.

Roel Loopers

A NEW PERSPECTIVE OF FREMANTLE

 

 

An interesting perspective of Fremantle’s Kings Square Redevelopment Project and other changes.  A former synagogue that now is a great pub, a church that remains a church, Fremantle Markets that needs some TLC, a carpark with a new artwork, a former cinema now home of the Department of Communities, a former department store now government offices, and the cranes of Fremantle Port, that might no longer be a port in the near future

Progress of cities, good and bad, is inevitable and always fascinating to watch. Way back, as a commercial photographer I recorded the huge changes in East Perth for years and later, for over a decade, the Midland redevelopment.

It always intrigued me how many very good changes are diminished by a few bad ones. City planning is not easy and it’s impossible to please everyone.

Time will tell if the Fremantle changes will bring the revitalisation of our city, that is badly needed and we all hope for.

Roel Loopers