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Item 8.1 - Attachment
1 |
Attachment
1 - Letter request to Council to waiver Section 94A Development Contribution |
Monsignor Shora Maree
Maronite Parish Priest
Our Lady of
Harris Park NSW 2150
2nd September 2010
Ms Sue Weatherley
Dear Ms Weatherly
RE: REQUEST TO COUNCIL TO WAIVER SECTION 94A
DEVELOPMENT CONTRIBUTION (1% LEVY) ON THE NEW COMMUNITY & YOUTH CENTRE
at
On behalf of the Maronite Catholic Parish of
Our Lady of Lebanon, Harris Park, which services the members of our Maronite
Community, and a great number of whom live in the Parramatta Local Government
Area, I write requesting Parramatta Council to waive the Section 94A 1% Development
Contribution Levy on the above-mentioned building.
As Council is aware, construction of the new
Centre on Church grounds has commenced and is scheduled for completion by March 2011.
The cost of construction of the Community Centre (a 4-level, 4000m2
Facility including a basement level for Parking) is expected to reach $4,750,000.00.
The Council’s waiving of the 1% Levy
would greatly alleviate our prospective costs and would be an acknowledgement by
Council of the social value that the Maronite Community brings to the
The Parish requests a waiving of the 1% Development
Contribution Levy for the following reasons:
1. Access
to the facilities in the new Community & Youth Centre would be available to
the wider community groups which would relieve Council of of some pressure and
expense in constructing similar facilities to meet the apparent growing need
for community facilities in the area. (See below)
2. Build capacity to meet the growing
demand from the Parish and local areas for help from the Youth, Family and
Adult Counselling Services and other Welfare Services for all age groups being
provided from our limited current facilities.
The Parish doors have always been and need to continue to be open and
welcoming to members of the wider community who request help.
3. Enhance our existing and prospective Government and Community partnerships in the provision of the services to all members of the Parramatta Community. Services under Projects include the Youth Worker, Anger Management, Drug and Alcohol and the Friends of Friends Projects, the Youth Club Red and the Youth Night Patrols to the poor and homeless and Natural Fertility Services. The Government Partners include: DOCS; FAHCSIA; Western Sydney Area Health Service; The Community Partners include the Red Cross (Rosehill); Robert’s Charity for Suicide Prevention and the St. Vincent De Paul Society, Parramatta.
4. Improve community connectedness by
providing culturally specific support to our Maronite community that ultimately
benefits Parramatta Council through community minded residents. This would relieve
the burden of welfare for the Maronite community who are in need of support and
are residents of the Parramatta Local Government Area. Of the 166,000 plus population of the
Parramatta LGA, 25,000 are members of the Maronite Parish of Harris Park.
As discussed in response to the availability
of our new facilities for external organisations I have attached (Attachment A)
below in a table the fee structure we anticipate will be applied. Please note that this proposed fee structure
is based on what we found applies to the Parramatta Council facilities on hire
as published on the website. We hope
that our facilities will be utilised by organisations within the Parramatta
Local Government Area who are unable to find appropriate facilities for their
purposes.
I trust that our important request would be
considered favourably by Council. Should
further information be required please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Rev Monsignor Shora Maree
Parish Priest.
Attachment A
The Extensive Community Centre Facilities available
from March 2011 are:
· A Large Multipurpose Room (188m2)
for meetings, conferences and workshops
· A Large Indoor Youth Recreation Room (530m2)
suitable for all age groups with table tennis, mini indoor sports and games.
· Two Medium Size Multipurpose Rooms (103m2each)
suitable for meetings, conferences and workshops.
· Four Small Multipurpose Rooms (55m2each)
for children.
· A Library and Study Room (52 m2),
for high school and youth study groups.
· A Chapel (44m2)
suitable for small prayer and reflection groups.
Other Current Facilities that would be available are:
· The large Parish Hall (seating capacity 400 with Stage and dance
floor area)
· The Parish Salon (seating capacity 80)
These Facilities totalling
11 Rooms of various sizes would be available on a regular basis during school
days and school hours mostly and all have disabled access to areas and
restrooms along with
kitchen facilities, tables
and chairs.
Booking Facilities
Parramatta Council is welcome to notify local
communities of the facilities we currently have available. These facilities are
available by booking through the Parish Reception with a fee to cover running
and maintenance costs. The proposed hourly fee rates, listed below, and could
be adjustable depending on the particular needs of groups and intensity of
activities and numbers using the facilities.
Table of proposed fees
|
PROPOSED
RATES |
Facility Area m² |
Capacity |
Commercial Charge rate per unit $ |
Community
Charge rate per unit $ |
|
Large
Multi-purpose Room – Half Day (3 hrs) |
188 |
40 |
160 |
50 |
|
Large
Indoor Youth Recreation Room – Half Day |
530 |
50 |
400 |
130 |
|
Medium
size Multi-purpose Rooms – Half Day (3 hrs) |
103 |
20 |
100 |
40 |
|
Small
Multi-purpose Rooms |
55 |
10 |
60 |
20 |
|
Library
and Study Room |
52 |
10 |
60 |
20 |
|
Small
Chapel |
44 |
9 |
25 |
25 |
|
Parish
Hall – Half Day (3 hours) |
400 |
400 |
200 |
60 |
|
Parish
Hall – After Hours |
400 |
400 |
1000 |
350 |
|
Parish
Salon – Half Day (3 hours) |
80 |
80 |
30 |
10 |
|
Parish
Salon – After hours |
80 |
80 |
60 |
20 |
Note: Rates are subject to annual reviews.
Cleaning is the responsibility of
the hirer of the facility.
A bond (amount to be arranged) must
be lodged prior to usage.
Any damage caused will be charged to
the hirer.