Community Information Office to be a part of Town Centre Revitalisatio

MEDIA RELEASE - Community Information Office to be a part of Town Centre Revitalisation Stage Two

August 2016

The Community Information Office (CIO), dedicated to the Manjimup Town Centre Revitalisation Project Stage Two, is now open.This project, for which $22.3 million of funding was announced by the Hon. Terry Redman MLA in May 2016, has been made possible by the State Government's Royalties for Regions 'Growing our South' initiative.

"There are several reasons why the decision was made to acquire the building at 5 Brockman Street," explained Shire President Wade DeCampo. "We saw an opportunity to provide a dedicated space to become a 'one-stop-shop' for the community to visit to learn more about stage two of the Town Centre Revitalisation Project," explained Cr DeCampo. "We want locals and visitors to be curious, to find out more, to dispel myths surrounding the project and to communicate the benefits our region will experience as a result of the planned works."

In addition to the CIO, there is office space for project consultants to occupy and be available to answer queries from the public, if need be. "Community members are also encouraged to provide feedback as to whether making a Councillor available in the CIO on a Saturday morning for a few hours would be beneficial."

The long-term intent for the building is to utilise it to assist with, and facilitate the transformation of Brockman Street into a food and beverage precinct. "We want to see our region thrive and we're committed to assisting community members to realise the benefits out of revitalisation," said Cr DeCampo. "How that might work in three years time when the project comes to fruition is yet to be determined, but this space, which is a community asset, is here and we're certainly open to suggestions as to the best way to utilise it going forward."

A gathering was held at the CIO on Thursday, 25 August in appreciation of the local contractors and Shire employees, who have gone above and beyond expectation, to see the office refurbished and open to welcome people in. "Though there is still a lot of preparation and planning to do before we start seeing things start to happen as a result of this project, we wanted the CIO open sooner rather than later for people to get a better understanding of what is coming and what to expect," said Cr DeCampo.

"We really appreciate all of the work that has gone into getting the CIO open. I think that the high standard of work, and the timeliness of it, is largely attributable to the fact that the majority of suppliers and contractors utilised were local businesses," added Cr DeCampo.

"We already have so much going for us down here and it is about to get a whole lot better".

-ENDS-

Authorised by Andrew Campbell, Chief Executive Officer

Contact Gina Nieuwendyk, Coordinator Communication and Executive Support

Contact: 9771 7777

Contact for comment: Wade DeCampo, Shire President.

Contact: 0427 094 081