November 10, 2022
An empty slab hut in Blackbutt’s Les Muller Park will get a new lease of life soon, thanks to the organisers of the annual Blackbutt Avocado Festival.
The building formerly served as the Blackbutt Visitor Information Centre.
However, this function passed to the nearby Roy Emerson Museum when volunteers who manned the centre decided to retire in 2015.
Since then, the building has sat unused until earlier this year when the Bloomin’ Beautiful Blackbutt Festival committee (BBBF) asked the South Burnett Regional Council for permission to use it as a temporary site office to help organise the 2022 event.
The Council agreed to the request, and it proved so successful festival organisers have now asked Council if they can continue to use the building as a central event office and merchandise pop up shop for the six weekends the festival now extends to.
At this week’s Liveability standing committee meeting, Councillors were told the BBBF committee held a community meeting on July 21 to discuss their proposed use with other community members, not for profit organisations and local businesses.
Feedback at the meeting and by email was positive.
Council officers also discussed the proposal with a representative from the Roy Emerson Museum to ensure the hut’s new use would not overlap the Museum’s operations, and the Museum said they believed it would complement their own work.
In light of this, Officers recommended Council grant BBBF a licence to occupy the hut for one year for $75 a year on terms agreed between Council and BBBF, along with the option of a 12-month extension, after which both parties could re-examine how the agreement was working.
The Council will continue to own and maintain the building, and BBBF will be responsible for keeping the interior clean and tidy.
The motion to grant the Licence To Occupy was moved by Cr Scott Henschen, seconded by Cr Kirstie Schumacher and carried unanimously.
