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Tuesday 24 February 2015
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Tapping into community spirit: The girls from Peninsula Ballet Ensemble’s primary ballet, jazz and tap class held up well during the long walk down High Street at the Western Port Festival’s annual parade. It was the first time the Hastings and Somerville based dance school had participated in the event, and the vice president of the organisation, Anita Andersen, said “they had an absolute ball”. Record crowds took advantage of the summer weather to enjoy a weekend of entertainment and carnival rides, and organisers couldn’t be happier with the turnout and their behaviour. Picture: Andrew Hurst
$56m for shire ‘Taj Mahal’ David Harrison david@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire would have to spend $56.5 million to build new headquarters in Rosebud or $51.7 million at Mornington. The shire bought Rosebud Central shopping centre on Wannaeue Place in 2012 as a possible site for Southern Peninsula Aquatic Centre (SPA) and is now looking at housing all shire staff there. Employees would be moved from the shire’s three existing offices in Besgrove
St, Rosebud; Queen St, Mornington; and Marine Parade, Hastings. Councillors were briefed about the radical change to shire office arrangements on Monday last week. They have been offered six options ranging from retaining the three offices – which would include spending almost $10 million on upgrades to all three buildings – to building a “Taj Mahal” option in Rosebud. The report favours the status quo, questioning any long-term value in a move to Wannaeue Place and providing
figures to back the argument that retaining and revamping Besgrove St was the best option. The shire has three offices because of the amalgamation of the former shires of Flinders, Mornington and Hastings. The shire paid more than $8 million for Rosebud Central and adjoining properties in Ninth Ave. Lead tenant at the shopping centre is a supermarket plus a few speciality shops. Its current market value is estimated at about $4.6 million. SPA was voted off the foreshore last September, largely because it was a non-
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shore as it was “non-coastal dependent”. The aim is to develop the new precinct over several decades. The six options are: Option 1: The status quo: retain the three offices at Rosebud, Hastings and Mornington. Cost: $9.7 million. Option 2: Move all four shire departments (planning, finance, infrastructure, and community services) to the main office in Besgrove St, Rosebud. Only infrastructure and finance are currently based at Rosebud. Cost: $25.9 million. Continued Page 10
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foreshore dependent facility and contravened state government policy. Councillors directed that plans be drawn up for reinvigorating Rosebud Activity Centre, including the new shire HQ along with mixed use commercial, retail and residential development, possibly incorporating federal and state government services. It was also to accommodate SPA. A new venue to replace Rosebud Memorial Hall was also included, “equivalent to or better than” the hall, which would also be removed from the fore-
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