Management of The Basin Senior Citizens Centre Information Package for Prospective Management Groups

This package contains the following information:1. A description of the steps involved in the expression of interest process.2. A description of the hall, its recent use and condition, and relevant matters relating to its

operation.3. Information on Council’s objectives for the hall and its preferences with respect to the way the

hall is managed and used.4. A description of the tenancy arrangement that will be entered into with the management group

including adherence to building maintenance responsibilities.5. An outline of the process that will be conducted to select the preferred management group.6. A description of the monitoring and evaluation processes that Council will conduct to ensure

compliance with the tenancy arrangement and any other agreements between Council and the management body.

7. An Expression of Interest Registration Form.

Prospective management groups are encouraged to read the information in the package carefully before completing the registration form. When reading the information, groups will note that Council has decided to take a flexible approach to the expression of interest and selection processes.

Expressions of interest must be submitted on the registration form included in this information package to Council by the closing date 5pm Friday 20 April 2018.

Applications should be addressed as follows:

Expression of Interest – The Basin Senior Citizens Centre

By Mail: Seniors Facility OfficerActive CommunitiesKnox City Council511 Burwood HighwayWANTIRNA SOUTH VIC 3152

By Email: kim.little@knox.vic.gov.au

Telephone: 9298 8829Days of work – Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays

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1. Expression of Interest process The expression of interest process will comprise the following steps and observe the following timelines:

Step IndicativeTimelines

Calls for expression of interest. 20 March 2018

Inspection of hall by prospective management groups (if requested). By appointment

Closing date for submission of expression of interest. 20 April 2018Consultation with groups who have made submission to clarify the information provided in their submission (if necessary). 23 April to 04 May 2018

Short listing and selection of preferred management group. By 25 May 2018Discussion with preferred group to refine occupancy arrangements and clearly define Council’s expectations with respect to the management of the Hall.

By 31 May 2018

Preparation and negotiation of formal Tenancy Agreement with preferred group. By 7 June 2018

Formal advice to endorsed management group and unsuccessful applicants of Council’s decision. By 15 June 2018

Occupancy documentation completed By 15 June 2018

Signing of occupancy arrangements (by CEO under delegation). By 29 June 2018

Commencement of new management arrangements. By 02 July 2018

2. Description of hall and its recent operation2.1 Location and Site CharacteristicsThe Basin Senior Citizens Centre is situated at 366 Forest Road, The Basin within The Basin Triangle (see Appendix A & B – Location Map and Aerial View). It is bounded by a car park and a local park.

2.2 Description of HallThe hall is rectangular shaped and has a total floor area of approximately 143m2. Comprising of a main hall and kitchen (82m2), the hall has a seating capacity of approximately 80 people (See Appendix C - Floor Plan). 2.3 Condition of hallCouncil has assessed the condition of the hall as part of the scheduled maintenance program and there are planned works for signage in 2018- 2019.

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2.4 Recent operationOccupancy arrangements

The Basin Senior Citizens Inc has managed the Hall through a license agreement on behalf of Council since 1973. In July 2016, due to difficulty in maintaining the casual hire arrangements for the hall due to the small size of their executive committee and declining membership numbers, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Basin Community House and The Basin Senior Citizens Inc was initiated for the Basin Community House to take over management of the Senior Citizens Hall.

On the 31 December 2017, the Basin Senior Citizens Inc closed, therefore Council is now seeking to enter a new management agreement with a community organisation within Knox.Under the terms of the licence agreement, the community organisation managing the hall (hereinafter referred to as the Management Group) will be responsible for the general operation, maintenance and cleanliness of the hall. Council is responsible for major structural maintenance.Current users

Community Group 1 Weekly (Thurs) 7:00pm – 9:00pm Community Group 2 Weekly (Thurs) 1:00pm – 4:00pm Community Group 3 8 occasions (Fri) 6:00pm – 10.30pm Hire feesUnder the terms of the licence agreement, hall hire fees will be established by negotiation between the management group and Council. The current hire fees are as follows:

The Basin Senior Citizens Hall Hire rates 2018

these rates are GST inclusive

DAY HOURS READING ROOM (8)

HALL (80)

WEEK DAYS 8:00 am – 5:00 pm $20.00 per hour $30.00 per hourWEEK NIGHTS 5:00 pm –11:00 pm $20.00 per hour $30.00 per hourSAT & SUN DAY TIME

8:00am – 5:00pm $20.00 per hour $30.00 per hour

FRIDAY NIGHTS 5:00pm – 12:00am $250.00 flat feeSATURDAY NIGHTS 3:00pm – 12:00am $300.00 flat feeSUNDAY NIGHTS 5:00pm – 12:00am $200.00 flat feeBOND Regardless of time

of day $250.00 or $1000.00 if alcohol is to be consumed

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Other mattersPermitted usage

Hours of use are at the discretion of the management group however all activities at the hall must conclude by 12:00am in the morning and always be conducted in a manner that does not cause any disturbance to neighbouring premises.

In line with Council’s Guidelines for the Casual Hire of Community Facilities, casual hire for any activity during the period 3.00pm Friday to 8:00am Monday, where alcohol is to be consumed the hirer is required to provide documentary evidence of licensed security (including company name and ABN) is in place; and registration with the Victoria Police Partysafe Program is confirmed in writing and provided to the management group a minimum of two weeks prior to the event. InsurancesThe management group must maintain public liability for the amount of $20 million concerning one single event. Council’s policies do not extend to cover the contents of the community organisation managing the hall. The management group must also ensure that any individuals and/or community groups hiring the hall have the appropriate public liability insurance coverage for the period of hall hire. Should the individual and/or community groups hiring the hall not have the appropriate insurance coverage, the management group must also provide information on insurance available through Knox City Council for hirers of one-off events. Reporting RequirementsThe management group must provide to the Council, within 2 weeks of conducting the Annual General Meeting, a report containing such information as the Council may require, including:

the activities undertaken by the community organisation;

the level and degree of public access to the Hall;

details of any significant maintenance at the Hall undertaken by the community organisation;

a copy of the community organisations most recent annual report and financial statements; and a list of Committee members.

3. Council’s objectives for the hall and management and usage preferences 3.1 Objectives Council objectives for the operation of the hall are as follows:

The management of the hall is underpinned by sound governance capabilities and sound financial management practices;

The hall is optimally used as a multipurpose intergenerational community facility; The use of the hall provides a significant benefit to The Basin and broader Knox

communities; The hall and its surrounds are always presented in a clean, safe and tidy condition; The operation of the hall does not cause any residential amenity issues; Users are satisfied with their contact with the hall which includes all aspects of their interaction

with the management group, the presentation of the hall, and the clarity of the information they are given about usage rules, etc.

The management group demonstrates an understanding of the needs of older people in the community.

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3.2 Management GroupThe management group must be a legally constituted non-profit community organisation. Preferably, the organisation would have previous experience in managing a community facility and have well-developed capacities in community liaison, customer service and financial management. 3.3 Usage preferencesCouncil preferences for the usage of the hall are as follows:

Council requires the hall to be used by multiple community groups across all life stages;

Existing user groups are to be accommodated in line with existing hall hire arrangements;

The hall should not be used for commercial purposes unless it can be clearly demonstrated that the commercial use has a community benefit; and

The activities held in the hall must be appropriate for the size and fabric of the hall. Any activities that may be too large for or have the potential to damage the hall are not to be considered.

4. Tenancy Arrangements 4.1 Type and terms of arrangement The community organisation managing the hall will be required to enter into a legally binding tenancy agreement with Council. This will be in the form of a Licence Agreement regarding operating protocols. The current license fee is $180.00 per annum (GST inclusive), the term of the agreement will be for a 5 year period. (The license fee will increase annually during the term in accordance with Councils adopted fees and charges.)However, it should be noted that the tenancy agreement will include a clause which gives Council the power to monitor the performance of the community organisation managing the hall and terminate the group’s occupancy at any time if its performance is found to be unsatisfactory. 4.2 Responsibilities of Management Group and Council The responsibilities of the management group will be to:

Take out all appropriate insurances, licences, registrations etc that are required for the operation of the hall;

Ensure compliance with all legal reporting requirements; Promote the availability of the hall; Manage the booking system; Maintain the hall in a clean, safe and properly functioning condition; Record the use of the hall; Operate the hall in such a manner that it does not adversely impact on neighbourhood amenity; Ensure that users conduct themselves in an orderly manner; Ensure usage rules and hire fees are approved by Council; Effectively liaise with and give support to users in matters relating to the hall; Formally report to Council on the operation of the hall on a 6 monthly basis or at any other time

requested by Council (see Section 6 of this document); Report any building maintenance issues to the Council in keeping with the established Building

Maintenance Protocol; Effectively respond to any requests or complaints by users; Promptly advise Council of any matters related to the operation of the hall that would be

important for Council to be aware of.

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The responsibilities of Council are to:

Maintain the hall in a structurally sound and safe condition; Respond promptly and effectively to requests made by the management group in relation to

matters associated with the hall; Monitor the performance of the management group including the satisfaction of users; Ensure compliance with the terms of the occupancy arrangement including the Building

Maintenance Protocol; Take out all appropriate building and public liability insurances.

5. Selection Process5.1 Selection PanelThe selection process for the management group will be undertaken by an internal Council Panel comprising of the Acting Coordinator - Active Communities; Seniors Facility Officer- Active Communities and a representative from the Council’s Community Wellbeing Department.The Panel will formally meet to consider each expression of interest and interviews with potential candidates will be arranged as required. The Panel will select a preferred management group. Subsequent meeting/s will be held between the management group and appropriate Council officers to resolve terms of the tenancy agreement and resolve any other relevant matters. The outcomes of these negotiations will be reported back to the Panel for its final endorsement. The Panel’s selection will then be submitted to Council’s CEO for formal ratification. 5.2 Evaluation processEach expression of interest will be evaluated against the criteria below:

Criteria Weighting %

The group’s capacity to manage community facilities (including sound governance capabilities and sound financial management practices)

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The management group’s capacity to achieve optimal use of hall 20

The strength of the management group’s community connection and local network 20

The management group demonstrates they meet the needs of all members of the diverse Knox community including but not limited to multicultural, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations

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The management group demonstrates an understanding of the needs of older people in the community

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6. Monitoring of Occupancy Arrangements Council will formally monitor the performance of the management group and its compliance with the tenancy agreement. This monitoring process will involve the following processes:

The management group will be required to submit an annual report to Council. This report will be in a format prescribed by Council and will contain information on the usage and financial performance of the hall, an account of any complaints/ comments made by users and details of any maintenance works undertaken by the group;

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Council will meet the management group on a regular basis to discuss the report and any other matters of concern;

Council will also visit the hall to monitor its presentation. The management group will be given appropriate notice prior to any visit.

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Appendix A – Location Map

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Appendix B – Aerial View

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Appendix C – Floor Plan