Communication the key to hoped-for Grow Lightly solution

GROW Lightly board chair Becky Banks is keenly awaiting a meeting with South Gippsland Shire Council CEO Kerryn Ellis in early June to discuss possible solutions to the current impasse over the organisation’s premises.

If a resolution can’t be found, Grow Lightly must vacate its home next to the Coal Creek carpark by the end of June.

Ms Banks wants to work with council, making sure it understands Grow Lightly’s structure and how it operates, including the fact all profits are returned to the running of the business.

Those at Grow Lightly wish to learn what specific work council believes is required on the group’s current premises to keep the building operational, and how much that would cost.

While Grow Lightly has expressed willingness to share its premises with another community group and to contribute to maintenance costs, council is so far refusing to budge on its decision not to renew the group’s lease.

Ms Ellis commended Grow Lightly on its willingness to co-locate but is adamant the group must move elsewhere to do so.

“The building is not suitable in the longer term and it would cost us a lot of money to continue to maintain,” she said.

The question is how much money?

The Sentinel-Times requested specific details from Ms Ellis of required maintenance and costings for the Grow Lightly hub.

“Council has identified works that need to be undertaken on the building, including painting, updated entrance access, ramp installation etc,” Ms Ellis stated, without providing any estimated costs.

While she said Grow Lightly is “seeking improvements such as replacement solar batteries and Starlink”, Becky explained that is a misunderstanding following a meeting with council officers.

“We said we would be happy to get a grant, upgrade our solar and get a Starlink on (the building), then we’d be 
available as a resilience centre in blackouts,” Ms Banks said, with that seen as a way of boosting the community value of the Grow Lightly hub.

She elaborated that council was not asked to fund that initiative or any improvements to the building itself.

Ms Ellis said council is doing its utmost to help Grow Lightly find a suitable new home.

“We’ve got both our building team and our economic development team working to support Grow Lightly’s 
transition,” she said.

One of the challenges is that council and Grow Lightly haven’t reached consensus on what constitutes a suitable home for the community organisation that provides fresh produce.

The need to be able to accommodate a cool room and for appropriate storage space is proving a major sticking point, as is the lack of detail on the anticipated costs for council of Grow Lightly remaining in its current home.