2015-03-03 Infrastructure & Services Committee Agenda

INFRASTRUCTURE & SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                        3 MARCH 2015


COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT REPORTS


3                        REVIEW OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE COOROY BUTTER FACTORY
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION




Author                           Director, Community Services, Alan (Fox) Rogers
                                 Community Services Department

Index                            ECM/Subject/Branch Management/Community Services

Attachments                      1.   Review of the Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre by d sipher



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The 2014 Galleries Service Review recommended that a further review of the Butter Factory be
undertaken in consultation with the community, to explore potential contemporary uses and
develop a more sustainable management model. Over the years, both the former Noosa Council
and Sunshine Coast Regional Council have tried different management models for this facility but
none has proven to be sustainable in the long term.

The consultation revealed that many Noosa residents view the Butter Factory as a valuable
community facility with diverse potential. It also demonstrated that the community wanted to have
greater involvement in the decision-making and operation of the facility.

A broad range of ideas and proposals were received through the consultation. The first phase of
analysis determined four of these ideas as having merit:
 U3A Noosa operating a Cooroy sub-branch and facilitating other users of the building;
 the Cooroy Lower Mill Board managing and programming the Butter Factory;
 a Centre for Ceramic Excellence being established and using the Butter Factory as a cultural
   and training hub focussed on ceramics; and
 a Biosphere Interpretation Centre being established as a tourist attraction and providing
   interpretative arts, environment and heritage exhibitions.
Detailed analysis of the community proposals determined that none of them made optimum use
of the facility and none of the proposers had the necessary resources to operate the Butter
Factory as a community facility without some Council support. Therefore after the consultation
period the Review Team undertook a final phase of analysis which considered Council retaining
management and a new hybrid community-management model.




                                                                                            Page 24 of 80