Lowy optimistic building to be completed in 2025
Hakoah Club president Lowy told The AJN Hakoah felt it was in the best interests of the club to find a new builder after being left disappointed by the progress of Parkview Constructions.
Steven Lowy remains optimistic the Hakoah White City Project will be completed next year despite the club terminating its current building contract.
Hakoah Club president Lowy told The AJN Hakoah felt it was in the best interests of the club to find a new builder after being left disappointed by the progress of Parkview Constructions.
“We’ve got a very good team of consultants working with us and we will very shortly be in a position to go out to a whole range of new builders and get going again as soon as possible,” Lowy said.
“Our objective is to complete the building next year and I think we’ll be in a position to do that.
“The board and development steering committee take this situation extremely seriously and understand our responsibility to all stakeholders to navigate the club through this challenging period.”
Lowy added the construction industry as a whole is going through a particularly difficult time with many builders and subcontractors struggling and going into financial administration.
“It’s disappointing, but we move on and we deal with the challenges at hand,” Lowy said.
“We have to find another builder, and we will complete the building as cost efficiently and as timely as possible. We’ve got a good team overseeing it, but as I said this is a difficult construction environment right now and we’re not alone.”
The reason for building the Hakoah Club has become more pertinent than ever given the tough times facing the Jewish community as a result of Israel’s war against Hamas.
Antisemitic incidents are on the rise, leading many to seek comfort and support from within the Jewish community.
“The best thing we can do is build our own club, for our own community, that will be the hub of our community,” Lowy said.
“We’ll all feel comfortable to meet and do all the things we love together – whether that’s sport or culture or just being together. It will once again become the hub of the Sydney Jewish community.
“We always knew why we were doing it, but in this environment I think those people who may not have appreciated it in the past certainly appreciate it today. We’re certainly seeing in the Jewish community right now enormous togetherness and unity. Our community get-togethers are bigger, attendance at synagogues is higher and people are wanting to be with each other because they feel a sense of comfort from one another.
“It’s probably a more powerful rationale for why we’re building Hakoah in the first place, and I can’t wait for us to complete it and open it so it will have its intended purpose for the community.”
Lowy said the board is committed to keeping the community informed about the progress of the build and will provide an update as soon as a replacement builder has been engaged.
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