A summary of the community engagement process on the Geeveston Town Hall was presented to the Huon Valley Council at its 9 December Council Meeting.

Community engagement took place following Council’s decision to withdraw from providing visitor information services at the Geeveston Town Hall. Council’s aim has been to have a discussion with our community about how the vacant spaces in the hall can be re-imagined to support vibrant tourism and community activities into the future.

“We asked the community to share their ideas on the Geeveston Town Hall firstly through a survey and two community workshops, held in July,” said Huon Valley Council Mayor Bec Enders. “We then undertook a follow-up survey to get their feedback on the results.

“We invited local people to comment on the Hall’s management model, its current use, and their desires for its future use. We asked how often they visit, why they visit, and their opinions on volunteering activity at the Hall.”

Events for local/tourism purposes that encourage community enterprise, creativity and connection should be high priority

The engagement process found that:

• 73.84 per cent felt that the vision for Geeveston Town Hall established through community engagement in 2015 is still the same
• The Hall should be managed by a community-led organisation using skill-based volunteers, with Council helping to ensure the model is sustainable in the long term
• The Hall should be a central community hub that continues to capture tourism
• Events for local/tourism purposes that encourage community enterprise, creativity and connection should be high priority
• The Hall should generate revenue to manage expenses of operations
• The installation of a lift would improve use of the upstairs area

The Geeveston Town Hall’s current board of management are appointed until June 2021.

“Council will now consider the management model for the Town Hall, and a report will be presented at the January 2021 Council Meeting to discuss options based on the engagement results,” said Cr Enders.

“We would like to thank and congratulate the Board and our community for the wonderful work they have done to continue activities and services at the Geeveston Town Hall for local people and visitors.

“In response to community feedback, we are pleased to be able to allocate funding through the Tasmanian Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program to install a lift in the Geeveston Town Hall.

“We look forward to working with the community to establish a good management model for the Hall in the next year.”

You can read the Council report and full summary of community engagement by selecting the 9 December Council Meeting on the Meetings page.