Hub of community
I find it in comprehensible that our Ararat Rural City councillors would even consider turning down $3.7 million from the state government towards improving and updating the Ararat Performing Arts precinct.
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While there is a need for council to contribute to the total cost of the refurbishment, this must be an extraordinary chance to improve one of the best utilised facilities in the district.
The Ararat Performing Arts centre is quite literally the hub of the community.
This is not about ‘a few people wanting a beautiful building to last another 500 years’ as Cr Deutsch proclaimed. And if the Ararat Performing Arts Centre is costing $180,000 per year to run, (not necessarily a loss, but a reasonable cost for a huge asset in our community), then as any businessperson knows, if you have an excellent asset, you should invest in it to make it more attractive and more profitable in the long run.
As our editor pointed out (Ararat Advertiser, Friday July 10) it is used by so many parts of the community.
School productions, fundraising balls for football/netball clubs and East Grampians Health Service, ballet schools, Ararat Eisteddfod, theatre and one-act play productions/festivals, 21st birthday celebrations, debutante balls, wedding receptions, funeral wakes, and family/school/workplace reunions, as well as national and international performing artists.
It also houses the Ararat Gallery, which is acknowledged as one of the best and most comprehensive collections of textile art in Australia, and which is desperately in need of additional space and increased visibility.
I suspect there is not a single resident of Ararat Rural City who has not attended a function at the centre, and an enormous number of residents have actually been intimately involved in events held there over many years.
So the refurbishment is not just about maintaining an old iconic building. It is about maintaining a vibrant community hub, which we are very blessed to have available for our enjoyment and benefit.
For years there have been talks and plans to improve the facility.
Modernise the toilet amenities, open the foyer further to allow it to become a small venue in its own right, enlarge the art gallery and make it more visible from both High St and Barkly St.
Add a café for visitors which might also offer catering for events held there.
An investment in this project can only be a winner for Ararat. A better venue will attract more national and international artists and acts.
A better gallery will draw more people to Ararat, who will in turn spend more money here. A better venue will improve the self esteem of the community, giving pride and confidence to a wide range of community groups.
To suggest that we should not accept this very generous offer from the state government is extraordinarily short sighted, and would be damaging to this wonderful community asset.
I implore the council to stop the bickering, grasp the wonderful opportunity placed before you, and let’s make it happen!
Michael Connellan
Ararat
Congratulations
I would firstly like to congratulate Ararat Musical Comedy Society on their most recent production of Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Mikado' held in the Ararat Performing Arts Centre.
The cast, crew and orchestra were exceptional, what a high level of local talent we have in and around Ararat.
Any upgrade, refurbishment, expansion of the Performing Arts Centre I hope will be more than welcomed by the Ararat community. The complex helps young people develop personally as well as show their talents. It also provides a place where our residents and others can perform and provide a service to the community.
With an ageing population and a number of infirm residents in our city, the Centre strives to provide entertainment so readily available in other larger centres.
I therefore urge all Ararat people to support the Centre's development and help bring it into the 21st century.
Tom Rees
Ararat