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The new KGE clubhouse and community centre: ‘for the flow of it’ When chatting to Kingswood resident Eugene Schoombie about his role in realising the estate’s new clubhouse, the excitement is palpable. But Eugene – a quantity surveyor and project manager by profession
(read all about his business, ProQS, in our ‘Local n Lekka’ feature) – has no illusions about the intricacies involved in getting a project of this magnitude off the ground. The long and short of it is that a practical golf course clubhouse combined with a facility designed for the use of Kingswood residents will be an invaluable boon to KGE, and putting the 4,500-square-metre site with its 360-degree views to its ultimate use will benefit all residents, golfers and visitors.
‘This is something extremely positive for the estate,’ says Eugene, and urges all members to keep abreast, get involved, and get excited.
‘Where in George do you find that kind of location for a restaurant with all-round views? We have this once in a lifetime opportunity and we’ll make it a successful venture, come what may.’
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In tune with the true function of a golf community centre clubhouse, the new facility will be situated in close proximity to the future first and ninth tees, eighth and 18th greens. Parking, registration, golf cart collection, cloakrooms and the ‘19th hole’ will all be in the right place, and even the driving range and putting/chipping facilities will be easily accessible.
‘For non-golfers, the community centre will provide a safe, comfortable venue for residents to entertain friends and family, with arguably the best views of the Outeniqua Mountains and our impeccable estate, without having to travel on public roads to get there,’ he says.
Then and now
It was anticipated from the very early stages of the Kingswood development that a clubhouse would be built on the beautiful site at the very top of Kingswood Boulevard. So the fact that all wheels have now been set in motion is a seminal moment indeed.
A subcommittee to steer the project comprises Jonathan Witts-Hewinson and Anthony Jacobsen, newly appointed KGE trustees, KGE trustee Marilyn Kamp and CEO Willem Jacobs, along with ASLA representatives Werner Jerling and Marc Stuyck.
Eugene says he is wearing the project leader hat, and that the consultant team consists of SDK Architects, a local firm with ample capacity to share their design development through visual presentations; Element Consulting Engineers, tasked with the electrical, civil and structural works; and CMB Consulting Engineers, who will focus on the mechanical as well as fire compliance aspects of the designs.
‘We live in a pocket of excellence, and to guarantee continuation of this privilege, it’s essential we work together.’
Flow facilitated
From a golfer’s point of view, it’s easy to see the benefits: the new community centre clubhouse will facilitate an easy flow for players, from the moment they access the estate to their eventual departure.
‘The new community centre clubhouse will offer everything in-between in a central spot, from parking to paying your green fees to getting your cart, grabbing a snack halfway through an 18-hole round, having drinks or a meal at the restaurant afterwards, and jumping in the shower before being on your way,’ Eugene explains.
Apart from players, the community centre clubhouse will also cater for residents and members, serving as a true community centre. Having a spot on the estate for tea or brunch while watching the littlies play on the lawns will be a luxury for moms with young kids. Clubs such as KGE’s birders can meet there, and talks can be convened, while the restaurant will offer a welcome alternative to home-cooked family lunches.
Of course, feasibility studies are yet to be done to ascertain the exact combination, layout and size of all facilities. A great deal of research on successful (and not so successful) golf course facilities has been collected by Michelle Witts-Hewinson and Tony Jacobsen, but more about that in a future feature.
Finances
Eugene says there were some interesting requests when ideas on facilities attached to the community centre clubhouse were invited from homeowners. The viability of having a faux-snow ski slope, bowling alley, tennis courts and such would not, however, secure the balance between spend and income.
‘We’re not planning to build a Sun City here,’ he says, adding that a central focus of their planning is to ensure that the project does not cost an arm and two legs, requiring as little financial input from residents as possible.
Processes
As project leader, Eugene is cautiously optimistic and asks residents to be patient, as there’s much water to pass under the proverbial bridge. All necessary processes – topographic and geotechnical studies, municipal approvals, concept design development, and many reviews – will take place over the next few months.
The project is approached in phases, with the first phase including concept designs, cost evaluation and eventual approval, before moving on to the next phases. These will include detail designs, final construction specifications, and tendering by approved contractors.
‘Once the architects have completed their concept designs, supported by visual presentation to our project subcommittee, we’ll announce the date of our “town hall meeting” where residents will have an opportunity to comment and eventually vote whether to proceed or not.’
He says the target for approval of Phase One is well before the end of November, and that this important milestone should be reached before the festive season dawns.
Keeping it safe
Following the extensive update on security at KGE in the previous newsletter (read ‘Top-level planning kick-starts KGE’s three-year security strategy’, posted on 27 June), the BUZZard asked Security and Risk Subcommittee chair Chris Horsley for a quick update.
‘CEO Willem Jacobs, the S&R Subcommittee and I are working closely with Fidelity ADT, now appointed as sole service provider for security services to Kingswood, to finalise the roadmap for the upgrade project,’ explains Chris.
The roadmap was scheduled for completion by 2 September, whereafter the HOA would be in a position to brief homeowners on implementation milestones and costs of the project.
‘The HOA and subcommittee of the board are acutely aware of the imperative nature of the upgrade project,’ he says, adding that residents should keep their ears to the ground for news on related milestones and costs.
Repairing the damage
Danny Maritz and his able Turfworx crew recently received a brief from Kingswood HOA to repair the collapsed dam wall at Hole 7, after extensive flood damage. ‘Before’ photos show the submerged section of that seemingly damned wall …
Turfworx crew bolster dam wall – for good?
The Turfworx design solution
Before the work commenced, showing clearly the submerged section of dam wall ‘We proposed a full reconstruction of this section of wall after an inspection, during which we saw that water kept moving through the laterite and saturating the soil – mostly clay – around the dam wall.’ This factor, says Danny, was a major contributor to the wall’s collapse.
‘We proposed an integrated drainage system installation, with gabion baskets to rectify these problems.’ Interestingly, the entire production took place in under three weeks, Turfworx sticking to its proposed 17-day timeframe. Numerous processes formed part of the excavation, having established a stabilised G7 base for the gabion baskets.
‘One of the challenges experienced was the irrigation mainline that ran through this area, forcing us to introduce safety measures in order not to damage it. We enclosed the mainline in sand and wrapped it with Bidim for protection. ‘We further needed to reconfigure our original design, which allowed for a drainage trench of only 400mm wide. The gabion basket could not be constructed on top of the mainline. This meant that we needed to enlarge our drainage trenches by 1,000mm at certain areas,’ he explains, adding that accessibility to the site was also challenging.
After stockpiling required materials around the site with the help of a JCB digger loader, the following long list of processes was carried out: drainage installation, gabion basket construction, backfilling, shade net installation for the prevention of soil migration into drainage system, choke layer installation, shaping and final levelling, and resodding of the area.
By Spring Day, Turfworx team members were finishing up with final planting of grass and rehabilitation of the surrounding areas. Find out more from turfworx.crtdev.co.za.
