A MORNINGTON not-for-profit organisation supporting people with disabilities is set to redevelop its site after securing a 50-year lease with the Mornington Peninsula Shire, paving the way for the Mornington Men’s Shed to relocate to the grounds.
Connecting to Australia (C2A), which operates The Mornington Hub located at 311 Racecourse Rd, and has served the community for 70 years, was granted the new lease at the council’s 3 December meeting. The project will see C2A expand its service offerings with a café, opportunity shop, short-term accommodation, and modern community spaces. The new facility will also house the support office functions, providing better operational efficiency and employment opportunities for participants.
The lease agreement also extends to the Mornington Men’s Shed (MMS), marking a big win for the group which will build a new building on a portion of the land at 311 Racecourse Rd. The group currently has a workshop in Mitchells Rd and a meeting room in Wilson Rd.
According to the shire’s report, “this collaboration will facilitate cross-over benefits, including the provision of woodworking and gardening programs by MMS to C2A participants”. “The current C2A site will be divided, reducing their leased area to allow MMS to occupy part of the site under a separate agreement,” it stated. “The goals of this project are to support over 500 participants, ensure community properties are attractive to potential participants, retain and attract quality staff, and grow contributions from the opportunity shop.”
The current building at Racecourse Rd has significant structural issues due to aging infrastructure, “making it unsuitable for continued use and necessitating substantial investment to ensure a safe and comfortable environment”.
The shire has noted that the leases would contain a sunset clause, ensuring that if the development does not proceed, the right to a 50-year lease would be withdrawn. “The council is not funding the development financially; its contribution is the commitment to a 50-year ground lease. This lease term is crucial for C2A to secure a return on investment and support the maintenance and renewal of the facility,” the report said.
MMS is in desperate need of a new home due to its growing membership and limited facilities. It has begun concept planning for a projected build expected to cost $750,000 with members already starting fundraising efforts. The shire’s report said it had secured a significant portion of the required funds and plans to secure the remaining funds once the lease is finalised.
C2A CEO Steven Johnston said, “This project will be a significant undertaking by the organisation and council has graciously approved our request for a 50-year lease to ensure that C2A will have sufficient tenure to obtain a return on our substantial investment”. “The present site at 311 Racecourse Rd was established almost 50 years ago as Kankama, and was considered state of the art when built. As it approaches the end of its working life, C2A has been considering the best way to serve an even wider community of people with disability,” he said. He said the redevelopment would also feature administrative offices and short-term respite and support for carers accommodation.
“In the medium term, the objective is to provide support services to between 75 and 100 people, supported employment to between 20 and 30 people, and respite and support for carers accommodation to over 3,000 visitors per annum,” he said. “The exciting part will be the ability for the two organisations to participate in joint activities such as woodworking, metal working, car restoration, computer skills, and gardening.
“Established in 2012, Mornington Men’s Shed currently has 112 members ranging in age from their mid-twenties to their mid-nineties, with plans to grow to 150 members with expanded social facilities.”
Johnston said C2A and MMS had worked collaboratively to get the “optimal use out of this valuable real estate and provide important services to an even larger slice of the Mornington Peninsula community”. MMS past-president Mark Parritt said it was a “huge opportunity” to support the community and “offer a bigger variety of services”. Councillor David Gill said it was a “great outcome for the shire and for people in need, and the Men’s Shed joining in and providing some of the work and facility for some of the great things that happen there”.
First published in the Mornington News – 10 December 2024
