By REBECCA BILLS
MOUNT Evelyn community groups have been charged for using the Mount Evelyn Station House for their monthly meetings and are outraged.
However, the council has defended the charges, which, they said, came in after Morrisons left the town.
Both the Mount Evelyn Environment Protection and Progress Association (MEEPPA) and Friends of the Friends of the Aqueduct Group received bills totalling over $80 for four monthly meetings held at the Mount Evelyn Station House over May and June.
MEEPPA president Tim Heenan said he was going to fight the invoices as he believed it was just not right to charge community volunteer groups for using community facilities.
“It doesn’t cut the mustard that we have to pay to use this facility,” he said.“When I was a councillor many moons ago, I made sure that these facilities were taken care of with the utilities money that was there to ensure community groups weren’t charged.
“I know that the Yarra Ranges Council will come back with a statement saying they are duty bound to follow the set out agenda in the process of charging for use here, but it’s not like we are having a wedding or a 21st – we are passionate members and volunteers that are not getting paid.”
Mr Heenan said he did not know how the council expected groups like MEEPPA and Friends of the Aqueduct to be able to pay to use a facility to house their meetings.
“How do you charge a community group when they have no means other than selling chocolate or some other stupid product to meet together to discuss issues that are of importance to the community,” he said.
“And having to pay money out to the Yarra Ranges Council for the right to be able to do that just doesn’t sit true to me.
“It is my understanding that this is now law at the council that all groups have to pay for the use of the facility after the demise of Morrisons Community House and I am not happy about it, I’m going to fight it,” he said.
Yarra Ranges Council director of Environment and Engineering, Mark Varmalis, confirmed that the charge to hold meetings at the Station House came in after Morrisons ceased its services in April.
“The cost was introduced to keep it consistent with the cost of hiring meeting space at other council facilities,” he said.
He said that the Mount Evelyn Community House had recently taken over the Station House, and that it would be up to their discretion as to whether they charge people the standard $8.10 per hour fees for hiring the space.
Mr Heenan said MEEPPA has had a really passionate and committed link with the Mount Evelyn Township since 1973.
“We are committed, we are here for the long term,” he said.“We are not going away, we just don’t want to pay for facilities that are here for the community to use.”
