Bellarine Times
Thursday 11 September 2014
VOL 7. No 37
www.bellarinetimes.com.au
FREE WEEKLY
OCEAN GROVE & BARWON HEADS EDITION
INSIDE TODAY
YOUR COMPLETE REAL ESTATE GUIDE
GRUBBERS GO THROUGH Grubbers fans (and, inset, coaching staff Cam Healy and Steve Coltish) celebrate the Grubbers’ thrilling, last-gasp preliminary final win over Torquay on Saturday. They will face Geelong Amateur in the grand final this weekend. See pages 32-33, 99 and 104. Photos: MICHAEL CHAMBERS
Groups position for Barwon Heads kindergarten site
CALLING DIBS
BY TIFFANY PILCHER
COMMUNITY groups have started to lobby for the future use of the Barwon Heads Kindergarten site when it is superseded next year. The Clifford Parade site will be vacated when the Barwon Heads Early Learning Centre opens for term 1 in 2015, and the Barwon Heads Arts Council (BHAC) and the Barwon Heads Traders Association have both announced plans for the site. BHAC intends to secure the lease on the existing building for use as a community arts hub, while the traders
association wants to see the site transformed into a public car park. BHAC president Victoria Strachan said their proposal would mean the community can preserve the building and gain of a vibrant meeting point. “The current design and condition of the building means a community hub could start operating as soon as the kindergarten was vacated and at minimal cost. “The community has invested funds, care and time into this facility. It holds many happy memories. “There has also been extensive fundraising to improve and maintain the
building and outdoor area. “A centrally located community hub would add to the economic activity in Barwon Heads and boost tourism.” The group is circulating a petition to gather community support for the arts hub, with more than 200 signatories collected in one week. Barwon Heads Traders Association president Bernard Napthine said developing the site into a public car park would benefit the broader community through increased tourism and trade. “For years, the traders have been saying we need more parking. Many customers have voiced their frustration
at not being able to find a park, and we know that people have chosen to shop in other towns for that reason. “It’s an ongoing issue that needs to be fixed, and here we have a possible solution.” He said BHAC should consider joining with other community groups and make use of other existing facilities. “We understand that to pull down an existing building could be seen as a waste, but this is an important issue we have been trying to address for a very long time. “Some years ago, council donated public space for the Barwon Heads
Community Arts Garden which has a portable building and room for expansion; why isn’t that being considered a place for an arts hub? “In many small towns it seems everyone wants their own facility, but there’s just no room for it and it comes at a cost to ratepayers.” Both groups said they wanted to begin discussions with the council about the use of the site; however, Buckley Ward councillor Andy Richards maintained that the City of Greater Geelong will not be ready to consider possible options until after the Barwon Heads Early Learning Centre opens next year.
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