A MOVE by Golden Plains Shire council to intervene in the sale of a church in Rokewood has hit a snag after a dissenting councillor threw a spanner in the works.<\/p>\n
The effort to prevent the 155-year-old church building at 60 Ferrars Street, Rokewood being sold by the Uniting Church was sparked by an online petition set up by a group calling itself Heritage Rokewood.<\/p>\n
The petition, that as of Tuesday afternoon had gathered just over 260 names, was shared online, including by Golden Plains Shire mayor Cr Helena Kirby, who subsequently called a special council meeting for 3pm on Friday, 16 April in an attempt to address issues around the sale.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the mayor of the Shire I felt that this was something that was, is, unique, this building, to our whole Shire and we need to have it out there in the public,\u201d Cr Kirby said during the meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s for transparency for the whole of the Shire.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of the special meeting two key motions were originally placed on the agenda.<\/p>\n
One was that Shire officers prepare a report for the next regular council meeting looking at heritage protections for the church, the other was that investigations be undertaken as to the possibility of the Shire compulsorily acquiring the building.<\/p>\n
If the building could have been compulsorily acquired, the plan was then to donate it to the Presbyterian Church, the building\u2019s previous owners before the establishment of the Uniting Church in the late 1970s.<\/p>\n
When it was realised that local government had no power to compulsorily acquire the building, a new motion was moved by Cr Brett Cunningham seeking to write to the State Government, ask them to compulsorily acquire the church, and then donate it back to the Presbyterian Church.<\/p>\n
However, that move is currently moot, after Cr Owen Sharkey lodged an intent to rescind the previous resolution of council document on Friday night, meaning the compulsorily acquisition request letter can\u2019t be actioned until council\u2019s next regular meeting in late April.<\/p>\n
Cr Sharkey questioned the process around the urgent meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cMadam mayor are you suggesting that we\u2019re trying to influence the outcome of a sale of a property?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
Cr Kirby\u2019s reply was in the negative. \u201cI\u2019m just saying that because of the heritage, I think it\u2019s something of state significance and this is where it is vital this be brought to council. It is what the community is asked for in the petition and that\u2019s why it\u2019s being brought to council as an urgent message,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Expressions of interest for the sale of the church closed on Monday afternoon and in a preamble to one of the meeting\u2019s motions, Cr Kirby said the deadline on the EOI process necessitated the snap meeting of council.<\/p>\n
\u201cProspective buyers are morally entitled to know before that deadline that the Uniting Church\u2026 which holds the title to 60 Ferrars Street in trust for the Rokewood community does not have the support or the mandate of the Rokewood community to sell it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ultimately the move to hold the special meeting at short notice didn\u2019t sit well with Cr Sharkey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just feel terribly uncomfortable that we\u2019re here today under [an] emergency meeting\u2026 and it is clear and apparent\u2026 we are effecting the sale of a property,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis meeting is being rushed. I have not been gifted the time to be able to go over things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cr Sharkey also accused the mayor of a conflict of interest after both she and her daughter shared the online petition on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis petition has been shared on Facebook nearly 30 times,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe that both yourself and a family member have done the campaigning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t understand how you can sit in the chair impartial, and I don\u2019t understand how you don\u2019t have a conflict of interest on this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cr Kirby rejected the conflict of interest claim.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can share anything on Facebook or wherever, and I don\u2019t think that unless we have actually signed the petition, I do not have a conflict of interest,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Attempts to speak with the group behind the online petition, Heritage Rokewood, proved fruitless with an email reply that can be attributed to the organisation stating, \u201cThe mayor, Helena Kirby is a Rokewood resident and speaks for the township at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attempts to speak with Cr Kirby about Heritage Rokewood\u2019s claim were made but not responded to in time for publication.<\/p>\n
Cr Les Rowe was not present during the special meeting held online, and while deputy-mayor Ian Getsom was in attendance for the start he dropped out mid-way through.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A MOVE by Golden Plains Shire council to intervene in the sale of a church in Rokewood has hit a snag after a dissenting councillor threw a spanner in the works. The effort to prevent the 155-year-old church building at 60 Ferrars Street, Rokewood being sold by the Uniting Church was sparked by an online […]<\/p>\n