{"id":276847,"date":"2020-09-17T19:00:45","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T09:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=276847"},"modified":"2020-09-17T19:00:54","modified_gmt":"2020-09-17T09:00:54","slug":"council-to-call-ringsfield-tenders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/09\/17\/council-to-call-ringsfield-tenders\/","title":{"rendered":"Council To Call Ringsfield Tenders"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The South Burnett Regional Council will call for tenders from community groups to take over the day-to-day operation\u00a0and maintenance of Ringsfield House in Nanango (Photo: clivelowephotography.com.au)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

September 17, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

South Burnett Regional Council will call for tenders from community groups interested in operating Nanango’s historic Ringsfield House as a museum and\/or tourism destination.<\/p>\n

At September’s monthly meeting, Councillors were told the SBRC had been spending an average $56,000 a year to maintain the facility since the former Nanango Historical Society vacated the premises in early 2017.<\/p>\n

The money had been spent on mowing and tending the complex’s lawns and gardens; electricity; fire and electrical safety systems; pest control and other routine maintenance.<\/p>\n

The Council had also spent much bigger sums in recent years on capital improvements. These included replacing the roof of Ringsfield’s coach shed and a $25,000 upgrade of the kitchen’s exhaust fans in 2019; and this year – thanks to a State Government grant – the $115,000 replacement of Ringsfield House’s roof.<\/p>\n

Officers said Council intended to assume responsibility for any future capital improvements to the complex, which was now valued at close to $2 million.<\/p>\n

But Council would like to see a community group take over Ringsfield’s day-to-day operations and maintenance so the facility could resume its former role as a community hub.<\/p>\n

Councillors were told two community groups had already expressed an interest in the idea.<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, because any successful group would probably need at least a year to develop funding and income streams to cover maintenance costs, the supervision of work programs and volunteers, and implementation of WH&S policies and procedures to keep visitors and volunteers safe, it was unlikely there would be any savings for Council in the short term.<\/p>\n

This being so, officers recommended Council call for formal tenders to lease Ringsfield.<\/p>\n

Community groups who submitted a tender would be required to submit a financial report outlining their current finances, planned funding streams and cash flows to demonstrate their ability to manage and operate the complex.<\/p>\n

Cr Kathy Duff said she supported the proposal because it made Council’s expectations about the arrangement clear.<\/p>\n

Cr Kirstie Schumacher asked the meeting if Council had any plans to sell Ringsfield.<\/p>\n

Community General Manager Peter O’May said there was no plan to sell the complex, but the recommended procedure to lease it to a community group met the conditions of the Local Government Act.<\/p>\n

Councillors agreed to the proposal unanimously.<\/p>\n

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