Bellarine Times
Tuesday Tuesda Tue sday y 23 2 November Nove ovembe mberr 2010 mbe 2010
VOL O 3. No 47
www.bellarinetimes.com.au www.belll arr ineti www times.co om.au
FREE WEEK KLY
Some of the best local talent will join national and international stars at this weekend’s Queenscliff Music Festival. Teenage Ocean Grove band, The Rustys, will play three sets on Saturday and one on Sunday’s massive programme. The trio were pictured with festival director, Michael Carrucan (second from right) and operations co-ordinator, Andrew Orvis (right). See more QMF news on Pages 95 and 101.
Photo: MICHAEL CHAMBERS
PUMP IT UP After more than 12 months without petrol, the push begins for a community fuel outlet in Portarlington
BY ALISON MARTIN
THE PORTARLINGTON community is urging state election candidates to pledge funding for a feasibility study into a community fuel outlet. The busy Bellarine town, with an increasing population and booming holiday trade, has been without fuel since the closure of its last petrol station more than 12 months ago. Bellarine Peninsula Community Bank board’s spokesperson for the project, Bob Hynes, said the committee had started planning for the project earlier this year to assess what the community wanted and had received overwhelming support for a fuel outlet in Portarlington.
Surf Forecast
“Bendigo Community Bank has an energy department and we have been working them, consulting with the Bellarine people and we have favourable results,” he said. “We have indentified potential sites and have investigated a model that would suit the community’s needs. The community bank has established fuel outlets in Elmore and Rupanyup and they are working really well and we’re confident it would work here in Portarlington. “We are calling for election candidates to make a commitment to fund a feasibility study.” The Bendigo Community Bank has worked with Smorgans to bring bio diesel and unleaded fuel to communities without fuel outlets and profits are
returned to the communities, under a similar concept to the bank model. Hynes said there were many other advantages of the fuel outlet, which included the relatively low set-up cost of the container and the ability for it to be price competitive. Private operators have found it too expensive to run a service station but this is a different concept. “There would be no cash transactions, it would be all ATM or card operated and we would be bringing bio diesel to Portarlington which is a brilliant environmentally-friendly fuel that can work in any car,” Hynes said. “We would even be able to provide a place for people to pump up their tyres, which we don’t have
any more. It’s about providing a service we need and trying to keep people in Portarlington. We need to stop people spending their money out of town and there are going to be three supermarkets in Portarlington to negotiate fuel discounts with.” He said the community bank board had the support of foreshore authority, Bellarine Bayside, and City of Greater Geelong councillor, John Doull. “We just need the feasibility study funded,” Hynes said. Hynes estimated the feasibility study would cost around $20,000 and while the Community Bank would contribute some funds, further community input would be needed after the feasibility study had been completed.
WED 1ft+ tiny, NW 26° THU 2-3ft+ building, WSW 21° FRI 1-2ft inconsistent SW 21° SAT 2-4ft+ building S 15°
PAGE
115