Stage 2 construction of The Entrance Neighbourhood Centre (including The Entrance Men’s Shed) has begun! This is a very significant moment in the long process of creating a facility to support men in the local community.

The following images show construction progress from September 2008 to December 2008. In the first image below we can see the profiles in place to ensure The Shed is correctly located and sized.

In the next stages of construction a retaining wall has been built to support the slab for The Shed.

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Here we can see the start of the bricks and mortar construction of the building.

Here’s a rear view of The Entrance Neighbourhood Centre, clearly showing the foundations and masonry underpinnings of The Shed.

After site preparation, the builders are ready to pour a suspended cement slab to form the floor of The Shed.

By December 2008, the steel framing components of The Shed have been delivered to site and erection can begin once the suspended slab has cured.

In the following image we are looking north across the forecourt of The Entrance Men’s Shed to the car parking. Work continues to prepare the parking area and access, while the shed is being erected.

This access door at the rear of the shed will provide much needed access to underfloor storage.

In the following images The Shed appears to be rising from the apparent chaos of a large building site. Here the crew from Tri-Steel are busily constructing the framing of The Shed, now that the slab has cured.

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By mid-December 2008 the support beams are in place and The Shed is ready for roofing. In the images below we can also see the deck of the proposed Art Gallery and Coffee Shop taking shape.

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Late afternoon (when building activity has stopped) is a good time to safely take photos of The Shed construction process. Here’s your correspondent on site in mid-December 2008.

The Entrance Men’s Shed is now clearly visible from The Central Coast Highway (with temporary fencing in place).

The image below from the rear of the site shows the foundation and structure. The men from Tri-Steel were hard at work erecting the shed for us when this photo was taken.

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The Entrance Men’s Shed as seen from Central Coast Highway, between the existing buildings. The deck on the exhibition space and cafe will provide a great vantage point to view the shed against the backdrop of trees and the lake.

In the image below we can see the shed from Norberta Ave. The newly installed cladding is visible, making the building envelope of The Shed clear.

With the The Entrance Men’s Shed now clad, it forms a stronger visual western end of the plaza of The Entrance Neighbourhood Centre (TENC).

The images below shows the view looking out from the verandah of the existing buildings along the eastern perimeter of the TENC and from the northern driveway into TENC.

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And to complement the view above, the images below show The Shed from Battley Ave looking south into the site. The newer materials and darker colours of The Shed cladding gives it a stronger visual presence on the site.

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By late December 2008 the exterior and interior of The Shed is clearly visible, giving an idea of its future form and function.

The Entrance Men’s Shed is located on the western side of The Entrance Neighbourhood Centre precinct.

The Entrance Neighbourhood Centre is located on the site of the original The Entrance Public School on The Central Coast Highway between Norbert and Battley streets.

The Entrance Men’s Shed Inc is an incorporated Not For Profit organisation. The mission of The Entrance Men’s Shed Inc is to secure premises and funding to allow a Men’s Shed to operate in The Entrance area.

The Entrance Men’s Shed Inc has established a Steering Committee drawn from community members and volunteers that care passionately about the success of the shed.

The Steering Committee members are:

Chairperson: Kevin Armstrong
Treasurer: Geoff Dunn
Secretary: Kim Hopkins
Member: John Sharples
Member: Colin Kennedy

Here are some images from the recent official opening (11th August 2008) of Kincumber Men’s Shed.

In the left image, from the left are Chris Hartcher (Member for Terrigal), Pastor Frank (Kincumber Uniting Church), Kevin Armstrong (Chairperson, The Entrance Men’s Shed), and Geoff Dunn (Treasurer, The Entrance Men’s Shed). In the right image are Peter Jessop (Kincumber Men’s Shed) and Kevin Armstrong (Chairperson, The Entrance Men’s Shed).

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Wyong Shire Council has recently commenced work on Stage 2 of The Entrance Neighbourhood Center, including The Entrance Men’s Shed. To celebrate this milestone Council invited community groups that will use the Center to a morning tea.

Community members reported to Council they were concerned at the removal of mature trees during the previous building works, and asked if more consideration could be given to retaining trees that are not clearly obstructing development.

The Entrance Men’s Shed Steering Committee is delighted to see work commence on The Shed, but members estimate that the shed will not be operational before second quarter of 2009 as the development plan calls for an electricity substation, roadworks and landscaping.

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The artist’s impression below shows The Entrance Community Centre proposed development including Stage 2 and Stage 3. The proposed Entrance Men’s Shed is included in the Stage 2 and 3 development.

In the image below, The Shed is located on the right of the photo, a two tone shed in green and white at ground level. The awning is also shown in the illustration.

The Shed is adjacent to the the car park and faces in towards the main square of the Neighbourhood Centre.

Members of The Entrance Men’s Shed Steering Committee visited the Kincumber Men’s Shed on the occasion of that Shed’s first birthday.

The experiences of The Kincumber Men’s Shed have been useful in the planning for The Entrance Men’s Shed.

During the recent Men’s Shed Conference for 2007 in Manly (Sydney), members of the Steering Committee for The Entrance Men’s Shed visited the Manly Men’s Shed (actually The Northern Beaches Community Men’s Shed).

Committee members learned useful insights into the development and layout of the Manly Shed.

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The second National Men’s Shed Conference was held recently over three days at Manly (Sydney). The conference was well-attended, including attendance by three sheds on the Central Coast of NSW.

Wally Morrison and Peter Jessop from The Kincumber Men’s Shed enjoyed lectures and workshops on relevant topics for their Shed. John Sharples, Kevin Armstrong and Geoff Dunn from “shedless” The Entrance Mens Shed, took the opportunity to learn all they could about establishing a shed.

Kim Hopkins, who is associated with both sheds also attended events that were relevant to the emerging shed at San Remo.

Here’s a plan for the development of The Entrance Community Centre – Stage2. Item 2F is the proposed The Entrance Men’s Shed.

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