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$19m cultural centre approved for Cowes

17/10/2019

16 Comments

 
Picture
Proposed Cowes Cultural Centre, view towards the main entry. Illustration: Perkins Architects
By Catherine Watson
 
COWES is to get a new $19 million cultural centre incorporating a theatre/cinema, function room, library and meeting rooms.

At yesterday’s council meeting, councillors voted to demolish the current cultural centre and build a new none, rather than renovate and extend the current one. There was applause from the gallery as the new build was approved.
PictureProposed Cowes Cultural Centre, view from Thompson Avenue. Illustration: Perkins Architects
The decision to allocate the funds in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 budgets was the culmination of years of debate, false hopes and broken dreams.  

At $19 million, it’s the costliest project undertaken by the council. The council is prepared to
fund $15 million from borrowings and $4 million from council reserves, although it will continue to seek state and federal government funding to reduce its overall costs.

The project was supported by seven councillors, with two – Cr Les Larke and Cr Julian Brown – abstaining on the grounds that they believed the project should be part of the normal budget process.

The costs for the retrofit and the new build were about the same, but councillors agreed that building a new centre would make better use of space and result in a more environmentally sustainable building requiring less maintenance.

The new design is two storeys, which also reduces the building footprint, saving several significant trees from the axe and enlarging the green space around the centre.

The previous council unsuccessfully sought state and federal funding to refurbish the centre but one of the first decisions of the incoming council, in December 2016, was to shelve the then $17 million refurbishment project.

Moving the motion to build a new centre, Cr Stephen Fullarton said the Phillip Island community had been pushing for decades for a new cultural centre.

Plans by Perkins Architects show a theatre/cinema with seating for 200, a multi-purpose community hall that can seat up to 400 or be divided into three smaller meeting spaces and a central “great hall”.

On the second floor, there are a large library, rooms for the historical and genealogy societies, and a small commercial gallery.

The architects noted a smaller footprint allows substantial open public space to the north of the site to be retained and made available for civic use “creating a true focus for events and activity”.

​Cr Stephen Fullarton
“It will be a massive benefit for our community. We’ve been pushing for it for so long and I’m thrilled to support it.”
Cr Clare Le Serve
“It’s very hard to retrofit a new building around an old building. You only have to watch The Block to see how many tears are in that. I think this is an intergenerational building. It’s going to be there for generations to enjoy.”
Cr Julian Brown
“This is the single most expensive item we’ve had before us in this term. If the proper process is to put all this discussion into our budget process then surely it’s consistent to hold this one over until next year as well.”
​Cr Bruce Kent
“I’ve been looking at this process for the past couple of years knowing that once we get our act together on the right building – and I believe this is the right building – that we’ll move ahead. I see this as a great achievement for the whole of Bass Coast.”
Pamela Rothfield
“I think it’s excellent and I’m so excited. There is room for more green space, which is so important to our community. The library can continue operating in its current space until the project is finished, which will save money.”  
​Cr Michael Whelan
“It’s a good time to be going to the market for funding. We’re getting encouragement from governments to bring that major infrastructure spending forward. It’s going to help the economy of Bass Coast. It’s exciting and let’s get the hell on with it.”
Cr Geoff Ellis
“We are finally going to get the building we deserve there that will blend in with the historic and the indigenous nature of Cowes. And we will finally get a library in Cowes that the people of Phillip island deserve rather than the little shoebox it is now.”
Picture
Proposed Cowes Cultural Centre, ground floor plan. Design: Perkins Architects
Picture
Proposed Cowes Cultural Centre, first floor plan. Design: Perkins Architects
16 Comments
Josephine Kent
17/10/2019 03:19:11 pm

Congratulations BCSC, this is wonderful forward thinking and l wish you all the best for the funding process. An exciting venture that can only add to the wellbeing of residents and visitors alike.

Reply
Sandra Thorley
17/10/2019 04:27:44 pm

Congratulations to the Bass Coast Council for finally giving the go ahead for this new Cultural Centre in Cowes which will make a huge difference to the residents and visitors of Phillip Island and surrounding areas. It has been long overdue and time The Island had a building as such considering the amount of income we bring to the Shire. Great news!!!

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Joan Woods
17/10/2019 05:25:47 pm

The main hall needs to accommodate at least 600 patrons for the hall to attract higher quality artists and make some money for the events promoter. That has been said many years ago and still be hit the 400 crutch.

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Lorrie Read
17/10/2019 09:19:12 pm

Wow, how exciting, fifteen years on the Island and finally a decent hall. Congratulations to the Shire, I am overwhelmed.

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Chelle Destefano link
17/10/2019 10:50:41 pm

This is fantastic news! It was much needed and maybe potential for an annual art prize partnership and arts residency partnership with other art bodies/trustees with this cultural centre

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Heather Reid
18/10/2019 11:41:57 am

Looks like a wonderful project for Cowes. They are very fortunate. Sadly though we are the ones to get that Shoebox library Geoff.

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Joy Button
19/10/2019 10:32:20 am

I would be delighted Heather to have a library in the Waterline that currently exists in Cowes and is referred to, with contempt, as a shoebox. We are being offered a broom cupboard with a loss of size and items of 75%. Does a reduction in services of 75% equal the ''enhanced service'' that Councillors promised us and which was minuted. Perhaps access to grants etc., for library services gets complicated in Bass Coast Shire when shared services are utilised .... something to ponder.

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James
18/10/2019 06:38:46 pm

We all pay ridiculous rates to build monuments to folly like this that will be used by 1% of the rate payers. For that price we could bus everyone up to Melbourne to see a show once a year and still have plenty of change to reduce rates.

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Philby
21/10/2019 05:22:27 pm

Could not agree more James once again the noisy minority are being pandered to.. If we must waste ratepayers funds then why is it not situated in Ventnor Rd providing proper parking and access to all Island residents. It is high time the adults said no to the children.

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Pete Granger
22/10/2019 10:27:44 am

The Downgrade - Waterline Region:
Population 4500, loses its mobile library service, replaced by an inferior $30,000/35 square metre library, as follows:
Library Floor Space (replacement) = 0.0077 square metres/per capita
BCSC Investment = $6.66 per capita.

(all bar one of the Waterline towns lose their library service. The replacement floor space is less than the mobile library, with just 1000-1500 items compared with 4000 items currently available from the mobile library).

The Upgrade - Phillip Island Region:
Population 11,000, $19 million/650 square metre library, etc
Library Floor Space = 0.06 sq metres/per capita (780% higher than Waterline)
BCSC Investment = $1727 per capita (2,590 % higher than Waterline. Say, 1300% given the library is one half of the building).

Spot the difference?

If the Waterline were to obtain per-capita equivalence with Phillip Island (heaven forbid), it would be the 244 (not 35) square metre Waterline Library. This can mean only one thing. Waterline rates will be be underwriting the operation of the Cowes (and Inverloch) regional libraries, not the Waterline Regional Library.
Whilst our Waterline (Westernport) Councillors (Ellis, Le Serve, Kent) have enthusiastically delivered an almighty upgrade to Phillip Island, they have also been party to an almighty downgrade of the Waterline library services. The region they supposedly represent. Whats the old saying, 'charity begins at home'?

Reply
James
24/10/2019 10:02:58 am

See there's your problem Pete, the overwhelming majority of people in Waterline don't use your mobile library service in fact I'd venture to guess it is used by less than 50 people so that $6.66 per capita is really $600 per capita. We could pay for someone to take their orders by phone and have Amazon deliver them a new book a month (to keep!) and it would still be cheaper. You don't have a right to other ratepayers money, you need to demonstrate that is is good value for money.

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peter walker
15/4/2020 02:33:33 pm

The BEST news in Cowes for 20 years. 26 years in the making. For those people that like plays/ theatre, ballet, art galleries, technology, craft, dance, library, community meetings, displays, concerts, singers/bands, council meetings, special events, history of the shire, community involvement, festivals, rehearsal space and film; this is going to be great!. Thanks to Bass Coast Council for getting this through and to the individual councillors who supported the project.

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Michael waser
18/4/2020 11:57:21 am

100% agree

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Michael waser
18/4/2020 12:01:52 pm

I came here after reading a Facebook post from others whinging about it going ahead, yeah sure these are uncertain times so might not go ahead as expected.

But i fully support the project, it's actually something for all the community and floor plans look great.

Us ratepayers on the Island always whinge the island doest get money spent here and rightly so, so i cant believe people here would not support this project.

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Ian sunderland
22/4/2020 06:13:07 pm

Whats wrong with a repair and repaint estimated costs $1m not $19 m

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Levinus Van Der Neut
3/4/2024 05:00:10 pm

And the final cost was 31.3 million dollars nearly 12 million dollars more than the original quote.Thats a lot of extra cash that the ratepayers of the whole of the Bass Coast Shire need to find

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