BMC news - August 2009

New committee nominated at the AGM

The Burra Management Committee held its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, 26 August.

The following nominations for Committee membership and Office bearers will be submitted to Palerang Council for approval:

The committee accepted the resignations of Rosalind Bush (BURRA), Amanda Ozolins (Burra Playgroup) and Niven Lau (Burra Community Association).

Palerang Council will be asked to approve a name change of the committee to Burra/Cargill Park Management Committee (BCPMC).

Previous bulletins: December 2008 (PDF 21 kb) | January 2009 (PDF 13 kb) | March 2009 (PDF 16 kb) | May 2009 (PDF 14 kb) | July 2009

July 2009 news

Palerang Council accepts BMC's proposed hall hire fees

At an extraordinary meeting held on 25 June, Palerang Council has accepted the Burra Management Committee's proposed hall hire fees for the 2009-2010 financial year.

The fees were recommended by the BMC at its February meeting for inclusion in the Council's 2009/10 management plan. At that meeting, committee members examined the running costs for the hall and noted that income had not kept pace with expenses over the previous five financial years to the extent that income from hall hire barely covers the cost of gas and electricity. No provision had been made for regular maintenance of the hall.

According to the S355 Committee guidelines that the BMC operates under "Any fees and charges recommended should be calculated carefully so as to cover the costs of managing and maintaining the facility including periodic maintenance of a major nature, e.g. repainting, top dressing, furniture replacement, running of events, etc." (see 4.3 in S355 Committee Guidelines from the Palerang Council website – PDF 287 kb).

A comparison to other community halls in Palerang indicated that hire fees for the Burra Hall were significantly under-priced and have not been increased sufficiently in recent years to keep pace with running costs.

Information about the proposed fees was published on this page in February 2009. The same information was also provided to the publishers of the Intermittent, but it was not included in the March or subsequent editions of the newsletter. A concise version of the information was published in the Bungendore Mirror during March 2009.

While its 2009/10 Draft managment plan was on public exhibition, Palerang Council received seven objections to the proposed fees. However, the council agreed with the S355 Committee (BMC) and approved the new fee structure.

2009-10 hall hire fees explained

From 1 July 2009, all hall hire fees will include the use of kitchen and gas. Previously, these were billed separately but it was impossible to monitor actual usage.

A new flat rate of $15 for community groups to hire the hall for meetings has been set. This includes the use of the kitchen and heating. Previously, the hire fee was $6.30, plus $5.80 for the use of the kitchen and $1.20 per hour for use of gas heating. For example, a 2 hour meeting held in winter (using gas heating and the kitchen) should have cost $14.50. Thus, the new $15 fee represents a modest increase in hall hire costs for most users.

The Hall Annex (Tennis Shed) has been cleaned out and is now available for hire at $5 per use. The space is much cheaper to light and heat, making it ideal for meetings of up to a dozen people. The Annex has a sink and bench space, but does not have a kitchen.

The $40 fee is applicable to community groups who use the hall to hold fund raising events. These sorts of activities invariably cause more wear-and-tear on the facility and the committee felt that it was appropriate that the fee reflect this. It is also a mechanism to share a modest amount of fund-raising amongst the wider community by contributing to the cost of running the hall.

Hire fees for private functions have been raised to $125 for local hirers, and $250 for non-local hirers. Both of these hire types attract a refundable bond of $150 for local hirers ($250 for 18th or 21st birthday parties) and $300 for non-local hirers.

The annual cost of hiring of Cargill Park at Urila (Burra District Pony Club) has risen by $10 to $65 per annum.

The committee will monitor costs over the next 12 months and review hire fees for subsequent years. Some cost savings have already been made, such as switching off the large refrigerator in the hall. The electricity costs for this appliance were approximately $15 per week. The large refrigerator is still available for use for large functions, on request. The committee is also considering a proposal to replumb the gas on the hall to reduce the number of cylinders and better monitor gas usage. These savings have been factored in to the hall hire fees for 2009/10.

Despite the fee increases and cost saving measures, the next twelve months will still present some challenges. For example, since the BMC proposed the new fees, the NSW government has approved an across the board increase in electricity prices of approximately 20%.

The committee would like to thank members of the community who have offered their support. We acknowledge that fee rises are never welcome, but given the precarious financial position that the new committee inherited, some hard decisions had to be made to remain solvent. Our immediate aim is to keep the hire fees affordable but still have sufficient funds to pay the bills. In the longer term, the committee will need funds available to for cleaning, repairs and maintenance.

• See also: Schedule of hall hire fees (below)

Parking at Burra Hall

At its February meeting, the BMC considered the safety and environmental issues of the car parking arrangements at the Park. These items had been specifically noted in the Maintenance Plan drawn up by Colin Neill and Peter Hawker on behalf of the committee and presented to all members of the committee at the February meeting of the BMC.

With regard to the parking arrangements, the committee heard that parents with young children are loath to attend functions at the hall or in the Park, especially at night, due to the risk of children being injured when cars reverse out from the area in front of the Hall. When Scouts have major functions, they lock the gate to the oval and keep all cars out in order to improve safety for children.

The BMC agreed on the following changes:

• On-oval parking will be limited by a barrier preventing parking in front of the playground and directly in front of the Hall. There will still be vehicular access to the Hall and about a dozen parking spaces under the pine trees near the tennis courts;

• Additional parking will be in the designated area currently occupied by the recycling bins. Extension of this area, the relocation of the recycling bins and lighting to the new parking area are being considered as part of this project;

• Rehabilitation of the grass in front of the hall and children's playground area will be undertaken, weather (drought) permitting.

Information about these proposed changes was published on this website in February 2009. The same information was also provided to the publishers of the Intermittent, but it was not included in the March or subsequent editions of the newsletter. A concise version of the information was published in the Bungendore Mirror during March 2009.

Since the BMC's February meeting, Council officers, including Palerang's OH&S officer have visited the site and met with Members of the BMC committee. A plan for the placement of the barriers was agreed with Council officers. ACTEW Corporation have donated poles which have been moved into place by local volunteers. A post and chain will be installed to permit vehicle access to the hall. Additional lighting to the new parking area is to be installed.

Since the installation of the barriers, there have been complaints to Council about the placement of the parking barriers. At a special meeting of the BMC held on 22 June, the committee and representatives of hall user groups were provided with a risk assessment template drawn up by Palerang Council's OH&S and Risk Management officer. The purpose of the template is to identify issues with the parking arrangements and safety surrounding the entry area to the Hall.

Members of the community have the opportunity to put forward their considered views on the barriers and access arrangements to the hall. Examples of issues to be considered may the risks involved with car movement through the area, parking amenity, safety of pedestrians present in the area (children), wear and tear on the grounds etc. These templates need to be completed and returned to Council offices by the 17 July – contact a member of the committee for a copy of the template.

Grant application for hall improvements finalised

The BMC has submitted a grant application to current round of the NSW Government's ‘Building the Country - Community Hall Grants' program.

The committee is seeking funding for an extension to the Hall to create a new, secure storage area for tables, chairs and other equipment currently stored in the hall. Funding is also being sought for the installation of acoustic panels to the Hall ceiling. The total of grant funding sought is approximately $14,000, with a community contribution on top. Both of these items were listed on the agreed Maintenance Plan for the Hall and park.

The BMC would need to demonstrate a community contribution of $1 for every $2 of grant funding sought. Contributions could be in cash or in kind. The Burra Community Association had been asked to indicate the amount of any contribution it wished to make towards these improvements from the money the Lions Club has donated towards Hall improvements from the Burra Open Gardens takings. At this stage the BCA has not responded.

This funding application was put together by Peter Hawker and Wendy Bell who spent considerable time preparing it. This involved several meetings at the hall with prospective contractors, securing quotes, meeting with the BCA and subsequently writing up the application.

About the Burra Management Committee

The Burra Management Committee (BMC) is appointed by Palerang Council under Section 355 of the Local Government Act. The Committee's function is to exercise Council's delegated authority for the care, control and management of Council facilities in Burra, namely Burra Park and Cargill Park in Urila.

There are similar ‘Section 355' Committees in every community that has Council-owned facilities such reserves, cemeteries, or community halls. The BMC charges fees on a cost-recovery basis for the hire of Council facilities in Burra. Revenue is allocated to maintenance and other ongoing expenses.

Committee Membership

The membership of the BMC is comprised of representatives of local community groups as well as one Councillor appointed by Palerang Council. Representatives are appointed for the term of Council (4 years). Office bearers are elected annually.

The BMC held its first meeting for the new Council term on Tuesday 25 November 2008. Its first AGM was held on 26 August 2009.

Hall hire

The Burra Hall has recently undergone a kitchen refurbishment and is available for hire by community groups, and for private functions. To hire the Hall use the online booking facility.

Hall-hiring fees for 2009/10 are charged on a 'per-use' basis. Fees are set annually and approved/adopted by Palerang Council. The 2009/10 charges for Burra Hall hire are:

Related link:

• Adopted Fees and Charges 2009/10 on the Palerang Council website.