Council have determined the entrance and hire fees for the new Bay Pavilion. A report advising the fees will go before Councillors on August 24th requesting that the proposed fees go out to the public.
If approved Council will place the proposed schedule for fees and charges on public exhibition for a period of not less than 28 days commencing on 25 August until 22 September 2021.
The proposed fees and charges cover a range of services relating to the Bay Pavilions.
These services include:
• The price of entry and membership to access the pools, waterslides, gym and group exercise classes;
• The hiring costs to book the theatre, rehearsal space and meeting rooms; and
• The fees associated with exhibiting art in the hanging gallery.
Council staff consider that the proposed fees and charges are comparatively affordable "but also allow the facility to be financially sustainable in years to come."
The Council report says that the proposed fees and charges were used by tenderers in preparing financial returnable schedules during the tender process for the management of the Bay Pavilions.
In the report attached to Council's agenda the proposed fees and charges are:
Council staff explain to the Councillors in their report the following:
Aquatic (pools and waterslides)
The casual adult entry into the aquatic area of the Bay Pavilions is proposed at $7.00. While this price is a slight increase to the current Council entry fee, charged at $5.90 for Moruya and Narooma aquatic facilities, the Bay Pavilions is a new facility and will provide access to a range of additional aquatic features.
Therefore, the slight increase is considered reasonable. The prices for the waterslide component are comparable to other regional aquatic facilities that provide waterslides, and the two hour and day pass options allow a level of choice for patrons using the slides.
An activity meeting room (42m2) is provided in the aquatics component of the facility and will accommodate the Batemans Bay Swimming Club meetings and private functions such as birthday parties and small events.
Health, Fitness and Gym
The facility has provision for 24-hour access to a gym and associated program rooms for a variety of exercise classes. A detailed price comparison was specifically given to proposing gym entry and membership prices against other commercial gyms in the area. It remains difficult comparing like-for-like gym prices, as each gym in the area provides different offerings, however; the proposed prices are deemed to be both competitive and affordable.
Membership
The new schedule of fees and charges provides a range of membership options for accessing different or multiple services of the Bay Pavilions, providing the community choice.
These memberships options consider full centre access down to separate access to individual components, such as aquatic, gym and group exercise. Theatre and Performing Arts The Bay Pavilions provides a performing arts area, including a 500-seat theatre, a rehearsal studio (112m2 ) and green room (59m2). The proposed pricing of hiring the theatre is comparable to other regional theatres of a similar scale. The pricing also considers a reduced rate for community performances and events. In addition, there is an option of hiring facility staff to assist in running a performance or event.
Gallery
The facility provides approximately 35m of hanging space in the centre foyer. As this will be a highly trafficable area, there is likely to be demand for exhibiting artwork.
The pricing for hiring the gallery area for art exhibitions has been set by considering the demand for exhibiting artwork the space, the area of hanging space available and comparison given to prices applied for other gallery spaces in the region.
Community Services
The Bay Pavilions provides a range of rooms for community hire that surround the theatre. These rooms include a rehearsal studio, green room, two (2) workshops (62m2 and 67m2 respectively) and a meeting room (52m2). The variety of rooms provide a diverse offering for community groups wanting to hire spaces.
The community rate of $25 for 3 hours to hire a meeting room at the new facility is comparable to the existing Council fees and charges for hiring a meeting room, ranging from $12-21 for hour. The prices have been set to be affordable and consider a range of rates including community, standard and commercial use.
The report to Councillors says that the proposed fees and charges "will influence the potential revenue that the Bay Pavilions will generate. These fees and charges have also been used by Otium Planning Group to establish a business model for the facility and these have been further applied by the contract operator to provide Council with a forecasted revenue and expenditure for operating the facility over the next 5 years."
"In accordance with these forecasts, which have been based on the proposed fees and charges presented in this report, Council has established an ongoing operational budget for the management and operation of the Bay Pavilions."
