2016-10-17 General Committee Meeting Notes

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                17 OCTOBER 2016


C.    Agree to accept trusteeship of the DOGIT and
      a.   continue negotiations with DNRM regarding a land swap to resolve the land tenure
           issues
      b.   negotiate a formal lease arrangement with the Cooroy RSL for their building
      c.   undertake consultation with the Cooroy community and DNRM about possible future
           uses of the land and/or the Cooroy Memorial Hall.
      d.   this consultation to identify:
              i. a clear use or purpose for the land on which the Cooroy Memorial Hall is
                   located.
              ii. the local community’s ability to contribute to the repair, maintenance and
                   management of the Hall
              iii. potential adaptive re-uses for the Hall
              iv. the possibility of replacing the Hall with a memorial or recreational park; and
              v. potential funding options for the chosen course of action
      e.   report back to Council with a proposed way forward including a detailed financial
           analysis of the preferred option.

Option C is recommended as it breaks the current deadlock, and allows time for a mature
discussion with the Cooroy community about what they would like to see occur on a significant
parcel of land in the centre of their town.

Option C also involves a full discussion with the community regarding the financial implications of
repairing and maintaining the Hall.

Previous Council Consideration
Nil

Finance & Risk
No funds have been allocated in Council’s 2016/17 budget for repairs and maintenance of the
Hall.
The closing balance of the Heritage Levy Reserve as at 30 June 2016 was $487,143.
Commitments for expenditure from the Levy for the current financial year include:
    Noosa Museum Strategic Plan $20,000
    Heritage Walk Maintenance $11,600
    Capital works – Mill Place Boiler House Restoration $180,000
    New Project – Museum Roof Replacement/Repairs $20,000
    Corporate overheads $8,029
This leaves a projected levy reserve balance of $548,513 at the end of the 2016/17 financial
year. Some of these funds could be allocated to work on the Cooroy Memorial Hall, subject to
consultation with the Heritage Levy Advisory Committee and a formal Council decision.
There are a number of significant risks for Council if it were to take over trusteeship of the Cooroy
Memorial Hall DOGIT. These include:
   The age of the building
   The difficulty in accurately assessing the condition of the Hall without a more invasive
     inspection including lifting some of the sheeting on the roof; removal of chamfer boards and
     detailed inspection of the sub floor area.
   Usage of the Hall has been declining for a number of years and there is no regular demand
     or purpose for the Hall other than for the occasional festival, wedding or large community
     events.
   The nature of the DOGIT and the status of the building as an identified heritage site under
     the Noosa Planning scheme constrains Council’s options for the future use of the land and
     the Hall.

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