DON’T hold your breath if you’re looking for some accountability on the financial success or otherwise of the new Cowes cultural centre, Berninneit.
The Bass Coast Shire Council was happy to provide individual figures on Berninneit when it “celebrated” its first 100 days recently with claims of 10,000 people through the doors for “a range of sold-out shows and exhibitions".
To be specific, 5327 “cinema attendees” had viewed over 105 cinema sessions.
So the shire does know some of the data associated with Berninneit and they should be able to say how many of the 10,000 were paying customers and how many “comp” tickets have been handed out to shire staff and friends to bulk up the numbers.
But, if you want to know about the operational costs of Berninneit, you’ll have to wait until later in the year, when the shire tables its 2023-24 annual report, according to the new shire CEO Greg Box.
And even then, the costs associated with Berninneit are set to be lumped in with the cost of running the Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre.
Interested local resident, Mario Boffa, who has put several questions to council, seeking transparency over the cost of the Cowes’ arts centre addressed the issue of operational costs at Berninneit at last week’s council meeting.
On the topic of ‘Berninneit”, would council please provide the operational cost of Berninneit in Cowes that includes labour, utilities, energy, equipment hire, room hire, food, drinks and entertainment for the period October 28, 2023 to January 31, 2024?
The new CEO Greg Box indicated why those figures might never be available: “Through the mayor, Council operates two cultural venues and does not record expenses in the way requested. Costs of both venues will be included in council’s 2023-24 Annual Report.”
Centre not 'Passivhaus' yet
There is also some doubt about the appropriateness of the council claiming ‘Passivhaus’ status for the Berninneit project, as revealed in council’s answer to two questions at Wednesday’s council meeting, one local resident asking for a copy of the Passivhaus certificate and another asking for details of the Passivhaus testing.
It seems that neither the results of the testing nor the Passivhaus certificate are available at this time.
Here’s new CEO Greg Box’s response to the questions about the building’s Passivhaus status: “Through the mayor, final Passivhaus certification is a detailed process and involves significant testing and assessment. Final test results are approved in Germany, and it is anticipated that these results will be available in May".
In its statement on the occasion of the centre’s first 100 days of operation, the council said this about its design standards: “This Passivhaus masterpiece has been applauded for its sustainable architecture, community warmth and incredible acoustics - lauded for months by visitors, architects, celebrities, artists and media.”
It might be prudent to hold off on such claims until the chickens have hatched.
