GEORGE NEWS - The future of the former York Hostel has been secured by George Municipality, that is going to refurbish it for use as municipal offices.

According to Lauren Waring, Director of Human Settlements, Planning and Development, no tender has been awarded yet. 

The project is intended to start in August this year and will take an estimated 18 months to complete. She said it is a multi-year project with R5m allocated on last year's budget and R15m this year.

The building, on the corner of Cradock and Market streets, was owned by the Provincial Administration and is in the process of being transferred to the municipality. It has been standing empty for about 14 or 15 years.

It has not been maintained and has suffered damage due to vandalism.

Waring said the budget was determined by engineers and quantity surveyors. "The full building, including all flooring and roofing, has to be overhauled given the extent of the damage to the building.

The interior has been very badly damaged by vandalism, the wooden floors were riddled with faeces or missing completely, and the interior walls must all be checked for integrity."

Additions to the building include making provision for sufficient public parking, making the building user-friendly for disabled users, and making it energy-resilient.

According to Waring, the integrity of the boundary wall is also a point of concern. 

"We need to make sure we align with the Go George requirements in Market Street. The current boundary wall is also no deterrent to vandalism given the state of the building, hence a far more rigorous fence is required to protect public assets and the well-being of our staff."

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’