THE Millicent Civic and Arts Centre will get a $80,000 facelift after councillors rejected a staff recommendation to allocate $307,000 to facility upgrades.
Councillors voted to proceed with renovations to the disabled toilets, as well as floor coverings, doors, lighting and the ceiling in the entrance foyer within the existing budget allocation.
The proposed redevelopment, including the updated estimates which came in at almost four times the project’s budgeted cost, was originally discussed at the March monthly meeting, with councillors resolving to defer the matter for a month.
Upgraded designs included bar renovations, removal of the ticketing booth and change in access to the chair store.
At last week’s monthly meeting, councillor Dean Burrow said he supported the redevelopment, stating council’s initial $80,000 budget allocation was unrealistic given the scope of the project.
“When you look at the cost, it is $20,000 just for the self-opening doors,” he said.
“The design has got gyprock on the walls and I have looked through the design and I cannot find anything that will address the acoustics. “I think it was unreal to think we could really do anything at that foyer for $80,000.”
Cr Burrow called on elected members to support a heritage consultant to survey the facility to examine any features of the building “which may now or in the future be of value to our community”.
He sought to defer a decision on how much of the foyer should be renovated until after a suitable site for the proposed new council offices and chambers was decided.
Cr Drew expressed concerns about council’s “great tendency to employ consultants left, right and centre” and said it was unnecessary to engage a heritage adviser.
“We can all look at it and say it is lovely for the 1970s,” he said.
“Whatever we choose to do will meet the needs of our people.
“A heritage adviser would not lead us forward in any way.”
Cr Glenn Brown supported seeking the advice of “frequent users” of the centre to determine priority upgrades.
“While they are keen to see some improvement, they would like to have some input,” he said.
“I wonder if the way forward will involve some of those regular users and have them come back to us and say what they see as the most appropriate use of $80,000.
“Whilst we do like to have the big bang approach and do everything at once, I am sure we can do some improvement with the money we have now and some improvements later.
“We do not have to have a $300,000 upgrade now.”
However, councillors voted against deferring the decision, opting instead to proceed with upgrades within the existing budget allocation, which was supported by councillors.
A bid to establish a sub-committee to examine future upgrades was also supported by elected members, with Cr Brown saying there was work to be done to bring the facility into line with other civic venues across the Limestone Coast.
