Hard decision needed on city’s faded relics
HOW does a public asset become a liability?
In the case of the historic Old Geelong Gaol and the Geelong Saleyards — longterm neglect.
Forward-thinking plans for both council-owned sites have been non-existent or unidentifiable.
The heritage-listed facilities have suffered from a lack of investment in required maintenance.
For the bluestone gaol, that has meant an outstanding bill reaching up to $3 million.
For the North Geelong saleyards, it forced the closure of the whole complex for several months last year.
The sheep sales were able to resume in January, but the cattle yards remain off-limits 10 months later, with serious doubts about whether they will re-open.
The 19th century site has been largely ignored for decades, left to deteriorate to the point of becoming dangerous.
While the futures of both sites have been long discussed, answers finally appear imminent. For the past six months, the council has committed to making a final decision on the saleyards at its June 27 meeting.
A suite of reports and inquiries was ordered into the facility, including full costings of the works needed on the cattle yards.
The release of a market analysis report last month provided a strong pointer to the demise of the saleyards’ traditional model.
The key questions now appear to be what type of livestock exchange facility in the Geelong region will replace it, and what role the council plays in its creation and ongoing management.
While it’s tempting fate given the process has moved slower than an inmate’s prison term, the sale of the Old Geelong Gaol appears a fait accompli.
And with at least one prominent developer poised to make an official offer, the likelihood of it failing to attract a bid is unlikely.
There have been four resolutions of council about the gaol — from both councillors and administrators — since June 2013.
It was almost four years ago that the council decided that it did not want to retain the facility it had owned since 1994.
Average rents from major tenant Rotary were barely covering the basic maintenance bill.
Continued deterioration, coupled with minimal investment, saw the backlog of required works blow out to as much as $3 million.
But here we are, with the Myers St site still on City Hall’s books.
There was an in-principle deal to sell the gaol to Barwon Health, but the organisation walked away from the agreement late last year, returning the council to square one (again).
A new submissions process on the proposed sale closed this week, with just the National Trust putting forward its views.
The council has previously heard from the heritage advocacy group, but is set to further explore their opposition to any private owner.
“We will now organise a submissions hearing . . . before we resolve to either proceed or not proceed with the sale,” council’s finance and strategy director Joanne Moloney said.
The resulting answer seems assured. The “For Sale” sign is going up. As always, it’s just the timeline for progress that is anyone’s guess.