Weddin Shire Council has met for their last ordinary monthly meeting of 2024 on Wednesday, December 19. Council heard from Jeff Gallimore on behalf of members of the Grow Grenfell Group about their proposal for a potential Grenfell Cultural Centre. Mr Gallimore said the group of 20 members within the Grow Grenfell Group has funded the preparation of detailed plans for the Grenfell Cultural Centre along with a number of high quality visual renders that capture the look of what would be a fantastic new facility for Grenfell and the wider Weddin Shire community. "The designs and documentation we have prepared and presented for use by the Weddin Shire Council should be recognized as an initial building block in the journey by Council to achieve a shovel ready status for the concept to secure a suitable site for the center and to obtain the much needed state and federal funding for the construction of the building," he said. The Grenfell Cultural Centre will be a meeting place for all members of the community, Mr Gallimore said, with facilities on offer in a building which will become a landmark in the town. The Grenfell Cultural Centre would also see three existing community facilities incorporated into the building, Mr Gallimore said. These three facilities would include the Grenfell Visitor Information Centre, Grenfell Art Gallery and Grenfell Historical Museum alongside a new café and multipurpose youth centre and indoor sports and recreation facility. Mr Gallimore said they expect all three of the existing facilities would see an increase in space at the Grenfell Cultural Centre and an increase in visitors due to being under the same roof. There will be an area set aside at the centre, Mr Gallimore said, which will house a permanent Indigenous exhibition which will provide the Grenfell community and visitors a greater awareness of Aboriginal history and culture. Mr Gallimore said they invite Weddin Shire Council to review the plans and documentation they have prepared and strongly endorse the Grenfell Cultural Centre concept, which upon completion would be owned and operated by Council with the ongoing support of the community. "It is an important Initiative for people of all ages living in the township of Grenfell and our Shire and once again it will become a meeting place for everyone in our community," he said. The Acting Director of Corporate Services Auburn Carr said she would like to thank the Grow Grenfell Group for their work developing the attractive renders they have undertaken. Mayor Paul Best echoed the Director's statement and thanked them for all of the work they've put in it and likely some of their own Financial backing into this. Mayor Best said looking forward to next year and Council's strategic plan these are sort of things that they want to see come into that plan and really go out to everybody in the community and get their ideas and and really develop a really good strong strategic plan. Councillor Wezley Makin said it should be noted that a project like this not a quick process, with securing funding, finalising zoning and everything else that goes along with it.
