Arts upgrades mooted
AFFORDABLE, accessible and usable are the key elements the Bass Coast community want to see in the draft business plan for the Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre.
The draft plan is open for community input until September 19, and plenty ideas have been thrown around to ensure the arts centre becomes a quality community hub.
At a public meeting last Wednesday, people said they would like to see wheelchair access, more professional theatre productions and improved facilities for local theatre groups at the arts centre, plus visual arts exhibitions and newly released movies.
The future of the cinema is still uncertain since the retirement of Keith Stevens, who had been independently running the cinema, but Bass Coast Shire Council’s coordinator of recreation and culture Mark Lindsay was confident council would be able to find a solution.
“While there are no plans for the cinema, we are working hard to find solutions because we know how much the community value the service,” he said.
“The art centre holds a lot of cultural importance. It is owned and valued by the community and it is used a lot more than we imagined.”
While incorporating several groups into the revival of the art centre is pivotal to bringing life back into the town, residents feared there would not be enough room if the business plan omitted plans to expand.
“There are no plans for expansion, so there’s no way all these groups can use the space to their full potential. There has to be a compromise. I don’t know where that line would be but on the onset it can’t accommodate everyone,” Wonthaggi resident Irene Williamson said.
Mr Lindsay said a structural audit had taken place and the business case was created based on benchmarks of other art centres.
For local theatre groups, dressing room space and stage practicality were among the issues identified in the business case.
A building inspection also addressed occupational health and safety issues. Fire sprinkler pumps were installed and exit access doors were replaced backstage as a result.
“The specialists were brought in to look over the building said the bones of the art centre were fantastic, but it does need some love. The theatre groups have done an amazing job with what they had but it’s time to upgrade,” Mr Lindsay said.
“The design is still open for discussion. We are also looking a better frontage. We want people to see this as an iconic venue in the township.”
Concept design: from left, Bass Coast Shire Council mayor Cr Jordan Crugnale discussed the plans for the Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre’s future with Phillip Island’s Kay Setches.
Short URL: /?p=19541
Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Sep 6 2016. Filed under Featured, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
