Gympie mayor, council reveal future vision for CBD

A new hub to replace the ageing Civic Centre and the need for a 50-year vision for the region’s future were among the key points flagged by senior council leaders amid plans to breathe new life into the Gympie CBD.

A new arts hub to replace the ageing Civic Centre and the need for 50-year vision for the region were among the key points flagged by senior council leadership amid plans to breathe new life into the CBD.

Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig and new CEO Robert Jennings addressed a crowd of more than 50 people at the latest meeting of the CBD Action Alliance group on Monday night, which launched in March 2023 as part of a wider effort to restore the city centre.

Following presentations from each, the pair were grilled by guests as to what the council’s vision for the future was.

The Civic Centre, which has been closed to the public since late 2020 amid the Covid pandemic and extensive renovations, was a hot topic.

Mr Hartwig said the facility was “probably a little outdated” and the region’s growth likely demanded more than what the Civic Centre could offer.

“We are going to need a facility which caters to modern needs,” he said.

Gympie council CEO Robert Jennings addressed the CBD Action Alliance at its June 26, 2023 meeting, saying the council’s next step was to listen to what the community wanted for the region’s future.

Better connections between pieces scattered around the city centre was essential too.

Expanding the CBD area to include the surrounds of Memorial Park, the Civic Centre and the Australian Institute of Country Music in Channon St would help drive the region forward, the meeting heard.

“If we make Mary St and Memorial Park a place for people, business will thrive,” Mr Hartwig said.

Mr Jennings spoke about ensuring the seeds planted by the groups’ efforts allowed future generations to thrive.

He pointed to previous, and similar, efforts undertaken during his time with the Katherine Town Council in the Northern Territory.

Mr Jennings said the region-wide vision for Katherine was so good it secured $80million in funding from government bodies.

This same could be applied to Gympie where today’s residents “design a main street and whole of Gympie region which will be something for their children‘s’ children to take on”.

Guests at the meeting grilled Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig (right) and CBD Action Alliance, with CBDAA founder Tony Goodman watching on, about whether the council’s vision was bold enough, achievable.

Mr Hartwig said the council’s troubled financial situation had been addressed to a point it could begin exploring long-called-for options, including a new sports centre and a replacement venue for the Civic Centre.

However the pair stressed the need for any plans to be boiled down to what was realistically achievable.

Mr Hartwig said previous proposals, like the $22m Aquatic Centre, were a little too “pie in the sky” with their costs.

It might be better, he said, to reduce the price tags of some proposed projects and spread the money saved into other areas as well to allow for staged development.

“It’s one thing to build it, it’s a another thing to maintain it,” Mr Hartwig said.

He said the region also needed to leverage off its unique asset: its people.

“There’s no point in having a beautiful town centre … if you lose the thing that draws you there,” Mr Hartwig said, with Mr Jennings emphasising “it needs to be our place”.

“We are going to make sure we are listening to the community,” Mr Jennings said.