'I've had people call me wanting to buy it': Kindy sale still on the cards By Joe Colbrook Updated October 20 2023 - 9:54am, first published 5:30am
Mayor Matthew Garwood says he has personally received calls from people interested in buying a heritage-listed, council-owned kindergarten, as a bid to rule out that possibility failed.
The City of Launceston council is seeking expressions of interest for the future use and potential sale of 56 Frederick Street, believed to be the oldest kindergarten or infant school in Australia.
Cr Walker said the building should remain in council hands, and become a space for all to use.
"We have an extremely significant building in Launceston, built by the people of Launceston, given by the people of Launceston to Launceston Council 136 years ago," he said. [ Simply reflecting community concerns]
"Let's create a community space. I'm not talking about malls and shopping centres or plazas in front of universities and things like that. I'm talking about significant public spaces that bring society together." [ IF you are actually asking what that could be why not ASK the experts ... the community]
Only councillors Susie Cai, Joe Pentridge and George Razay joined Cr Walker in supporting the motion, and Crs Cai and Pentridge said community groups needed more time to develop use cases. [ All elected by constituents seeking change to the status quo and thus representing their constituency]
Responding to a question by Cr Pentridge, the mayor said no formal expressions of interest involving the sale of the property had been received.
However, he said there were people in Launceston interested in buying the building. [ How might he know this IF the EoI PROCESS was fair dinkum?]
"We haven't received any expressions of interest, but that doesn't mean that we haven't had people ... expressing their interest," Cr Garwood said. [ AGAIN, how might he know this IF the EoI PROCESS was fair dinkum?]
"I've had people call me wanting to buy it. I've had people call me that want to use it on a Tuesday afternoon only. [ Why is he accapting these calls IF the EoI PROCESS is actually fair dinkum?]
"There's been people interested, but there's been no expressions that have come through the process." [AGAIN, IF the EoI PROCESS was fair dinkum and carried out at 'arms length' nobody should know this given the 'CONFIDENTIALITY' that is noted in the EoI PROCESS described on the EoI form]
The mayor said he would not support Cr Walker's motion as seeking out all ideas would allow the council to make an informed choice and keep Launceston progressing to its "incredible, next, best self". [ SO, is the Mayor now conflicted along with a cohort of other Councillors? Sadly yhat has become a live question.]
Councillor Danny Gibson did not support the motion as it was "superfluous", as the council was under no obligation to sell the building even if it received such an expression of interest. [BUT Cr. Gibson has clearly implied that this 'place' is 'surplus to requirement' so will he or will he not be assessing EoI's with an open mind in a process that is increasingly looking like it has possibly been compromised]
Cr Gibson said community groups did not need fully-fleshed proposals at this stage. [ However If they were to follow Cr. Gibson's advice and they dare to do what he says they might do, given the now percieved bias, their EoI will most likely sink like a stone. Why set them up for that?]
"There is currently an opportunity for an expression of interest process that allows for first stage indications of what people could use the site for," he said.[For an above board process that might be so? Who will invest time and money in a process that bears the hallmarks conflicted interests?]
"This doesn't require a 24-page fully developed proposal from nonprofit group one, philanthropic group two, or landcare group three, or bread provider four." [REALLY, is this a set up or not. In the vernacular ... if itlooks like a duck and quacks like a duck it is more than likely ... A DUCK!]
Councillor Alan Harris - who attended the school as a child - said councillors visited the building and saw it was in need of an overhaul, which might not happen unless it was sold to private enterprise. [OH really, the good Councillor presumes to know what what resources a 'community group' might have access to. If you have been lobbied by 'private enterprise' one might imagine that one just cannot imagine this or that ... SO, conceivably the process as a 'process' is increasingly looking like it has been compromised]
"Interestingly, when we walked in there, and I walked out the back to the toilets, the toilets hadn't changed and they weren't very good in 1966," he said. [OH really, the good Councillor has a long memory]
"It is a building that needs a lot of money spent on it, and it is money that Cr Walker's motion wishes to cut out. [Just what is the good Councillor saying here?]
"If I'm a not-for-profit, and I'm going to invest significant funds in a property that I don't own, I might not put my idea forward." [Again, just does the good Councillor know about the resources a not-for-profit can muster, what their motives might be. Not everything is about money and thanks for the wisdom that might not be provided with a moral compass in hand]
The expressions of interest period ends on November 3. [IF this process actually passes the PUB TEST after it stops a barbeque or three]
Mayor Matthew Garwood says he has personally received calls from people interested in buying a heritage-listed, council-owned kindergarten, as a bid to rule out that possibility failed.
The City of Launceston council is seeking expressions of interest for the future use and potential sale of 56 Frederick Street, believed to be the oldest kindergarten or infant school in Australia.
A motion by Tim Walker to prevent the council entertaining offers on
56 Frederick Street failed. Picture by Paul Scambler
Councillor Tim Walker tabled a notice of motion at the October 19 council meeting to halt that process, extend it to six weeks, and restart it without giving the council the option of selling the building. [ Simply reflecting community concerns]Cr Walker said the building should remain in council hands, and become a space for all to use.
"We have an extremely significant building in Launceston, built by the people of Launceston, given by the people of Launceston to Launceston Council 136 years ago," he said. [ Simply reflecting community concerns]
"Let's create a community space. I'm not talking about malls and shopping centres or plazas in front of universities and things like that. I'm talking about significant public spaces that bring society together." [ IF you are actually asking what that could be why not ASK the experts ... the community]
Only councillors Susie Cai, Joe Pentridge and George Razay joined Cr Walker in supporting the motion, and Crs Cai and Pentridge said community groups needed more time to develop use cases. [ All elected by constituents seeking change to the status quo and thus representing their constituency]
Responding to a question by Cr Pentridge, the mayor said no formal expressions of interest involving the sale of the property had been received.
However, he said there were people in Launceston interested in buying the building. [ How might he know this IF the EoI PROCESS was fair dinkum?]
"We haven't received any expressions of interest, but that doesn't mean that we haven't had people ... expressing their interest," Cr Garwood said. [ AGAIN, how might he know this IF the EoI PROCESS was fair dinkum?]
"I've had people call me wanting to buy it. I've had people call me that want to use it on a Tuesday afternoon only. [ Why is he accapting these calls IF the EoI PROCESS is actually fair dinkum?]
"There's been people interested, but there's been no expressions that have come through the process." [AGAIN, IF the EoI PROCESS was fair dinkum and carried out at 'arms length' nobody should know this given the 'CONFIDENTIALITY' that is noted in the EoI PROCESS described on the EoI form]
The mayor said he would not support Cr Walker's motion as seeking out all ideas would allow the council to make an informed choice and keep Launceston progressing to its "incredible, next, best self". [ SO, is the Mayor now conflicted along with a cohort of other Councillors? Sadly yhat has become a live question.]
Councillor Danny Gibson did not support the motion as it was "superfluous", as the council was under no obligation to sell the building even if it received such an expression of interest. [BUT Cr. Gibson has clearly implied that this 'place' is 'surplus to requirement' so will he or will he not be assessing EoI's with an open mind in a process that is increasingly looking like it has possibly been compromised]
Cr Gibson said community groups did not need fully-fleshed proposals at this stage. [ However If they were to follow Cr. Gibson's advice and they dare to do what he says they might do, given the now percieved bias, their EoI will most likely sink like a stone. Why set them up for that?]
"There is currently an opportunity for an expression of interest process that allows for first stage indications of what people could use the site for," he said.[For an above board process that might be so? Who will invest time and money in a process that bears the hallmarks conflicted interests?]
"This doesn't require a 24-page fully developed proposal from nonprofit group one, philanthropic group two, or landcare group three, or bread provider four." [REALLY, is this a set up or not. In the vernacular ... if itlooks like a duck and quacks like a duck it is more than likely ... A DUCK!]
Councillor Alan Harris - who attended the school as a child - said councillors visited the building and saw it was in need of an overhaul, which might not happen unless it was sold to private enterprise. [OH really, the good Councillor presumes to know what what resources a 'community group' might have access to. If you have been lobbied by 'private enterprise' one might imagine that one just cannot imagine this or that ... SO, conceivably the process as a 'process' is increasingly looking like it has been compromised]
"Interestingly, when we walked in there, and I walked out the back to the toilets, the toilets hadn't changed and they weren't very good in 1966," he said. [OH really, the good Councillor has a long memory]
"It is a building that needs a lot of money spent on it, and it is money that Cr Walker's motion wishes to cut out. [Just what is the good Councillor saying here?]
"If I'm a not-for-profit, and I'm going to invest significant funds in a property that I don't own, I might not put my idea forward." [Again, just does the good Councillor know about the resources a not-for-profit can muster, what their motives might be. Not everything is about money and thanks for the wisdom that might not be provided with a moral compass in hand]
The expressions of interest period ends on November 3. [IF this process actually passes the PUB TEST after it stops a barbeque or three]
NB: Someone wiser than most said something like, 'for every credibility gap there is a gullibility gap. Then again, Confucius, the sage who did not live to see his days of glory in his lifetime when his teachings were received with scorn. Nonetheless, that was about 2,500 years ago and now some of his' 'teachings' cut right to the point ... like here "In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of."
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