Council to decide on Utopia house

A decision on the future of the house located at Baw Baw Shire’s new pound, formerly Utopia Pet Lodge, at Longwarry North will be decided by council.

The house has been vacant since council bought the property two years ago.

Mayor Joe Gauci said that what happened to the house would be up to a decision by council.

An earlier response (August 16) by the shire’s communications section to the Gazette questions on when a report about options for the house would be completed and be presented to council for decision threw some doubts over the process.

The answer stated a report would be presented to the executive (management) team on September 13 and could lead to a request to consider “further options” but also added that “at this stage we don’t know if there will be a requirement for a report to go to council”.

Cr Gauci said council would decide what happens with the brick house built more than 50 years ago but, given it had been unoccupied for two years, did not know its condition.

Since council bought Utopia – the property, built assets and business - for $1.2 million in August 2016 there have been no details released of the value placed on the house as part of the purchase.

Initially it was stated the house could be used in conjunction with the pet lodge that council intended to continue operating as a commercial venture to offset costs of running a new pound to be co-located on the five-acre property.

The pet boarding facility closed less than 12 months later after it had run at a loss with council expecting losses to continue.

Formal written responses from the shire to questions from The Gazette then indicated the house was not required for accommodation for staff managing the lodge or, subsequently, in charge of the pound when the lodge was closed and its facilities used to house impounded cats and dogs.