As anyone who walks through our area's excellent new performing and visual arts facility knows, Casula Powerhouse is of a global standard. I have attended the centre with several people who were visiting it for the first time and they are always surprised by the high
standard of displays and shows that are featured there. Many locals see it as a true coup for Liverpool, something that is sure to draw people in the area and keep people who would usually venture to the inner-city for entertainment, in the area on a Saturday night.
But there are a surprising number of critics, who see the Powerhouse as an over-priced, unnecessary venture that does not provide the sort of entertainment most Liverpudlians would be interested in.
Residents such as John Anderson, of Hoxton Park have been saying for a long time that most locals would not be interested in the sort of entertainment offered at the art centre.
``People living in this area don't want to see fine arts,'' Mr Anderson said.
``Most of the people here are more interested in sport or other forms of entertainment and I feel that we weren't really asked and a lot of our rate money was just spent on the Powerhouse.
``It's not the best way to have spent that money, it should have been spent on providing recreational activities for young people such as community centres or the skate park in Hoxton Park, that I've been campaigning for years.''
Others such as Ian Bailey, argue that the centre will be a liability for council for a long time to come.
``The last time we had a six per cent rate increase, what we got with that increase was the Powerhouse,'' Mr Bailey said.
``From what I understand, most of that extra money went into fixing that up and a large government grant went towards that, as well.
``Now an art centre is all well and good, but a lot of other things needed to be done before that.
``The money could have been spent on cleaning up the area, fixing up our rural roads, creating a more effective anti-graffiti strategy.
``You've got to get the basics right before you spend money on big things like that.''
Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller is a fervent supporter of the centre. When asked why she thinks it's been so controversial for so many years she said that the controversy came from people's misconceptions.
``People think that the only thing locals should be interested in is footy and cricket,'' Ms Waller said.
``But the people of Liverpool have a variety of interests.
``We cater to those that are interested in sport very well with the multitude of sporting and recreational facilities we have on offer, so why shouldn't we cater for those that are interested in the arts too?
``The Powerhouse isn't just a fine arts centre, it has a range of exhibitions, appealing to a variety of people and also has some very interesting theatrical shows as well.
``And I see it becoming a civic centre in the future as well, being a location for celebrations and community events such as Australia Day, in the future.
``It's a great centre for Liverpool, with lots of potential and I see it as being a great source of recreation for locals, as well as a drawcard for people from other areas to come into Liverpool.''
Now I would have to say that I agree with the mayor that the facility is a great one for Liverpool, it is of a very high standard, as I said above and the exhibitions which it hosts are very interesting and varied. But I think the council should take the negative views some
locals have of the centre into account and possibly survey residents about what kind of shows and exhibits they would like to see there.
Ms Waller also said that the money allocated to the Powerhouse is the council's budget for the next financial year will be reduced.
``It's something that will be in the draft budget that will be presented to council on May 4 and put on public exhibition for the next 28 days thereafter.''
A lot of locals would definitely support that news, but the question is how much funding will be cut and which programs the Powerhouse will have to cut back on as a result.
Councillor Gary Lucas, once a vehement opponent of the centre, recently said that now that Liverpool has the facility, council should work to see it become as self-sufficient as possible.
``I don't think that centre should have been built, but now that we've got it, the most important thing is to make sure it doesn't keep costing us money,'' Cr Lucas said.
Cr Lucas has previously enquired about the attendance numbers for the centre and whether it is proving to be a success.
He has suggested making the exhibitions more interesting and applicable to local people and is a supporter of a cafe or food stall being opened there so that the centre could be making some money.
Ms Waller confirmed that the idea of a coffee shop is something that has been in the long term plan for the centre for a while.
``That is definitely going to be there at some point, that would be a great addition.''
She said that attendance of the centre was already quite high, but would undoubtedly increase when the direct road to the centre, from Liverpool CBD, is built.
``Unfortunately, people are still having some trouble finding the Powerhouse.
``Some people think it is somewhere behind Collingwood House and the Regional Museum and have real trouble finding it, so when there is a road going straight to it, it should have even more people visiting it.''
The only problem is the construction of the road is tied up with the construction of the South Sydney Freight Line, because the council made an arrangement with the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) that they would build it at the same time as the line.
But at the moment residents at the Casula Links Estate are campaigning for ARTC to put up sound barriers to protect their properties, which will border the freight line, from the noise the line will cause, so that may halt the construction of the line and therefore the
road.
Now obviously, those sound barriers are what's most important for residents and should be the priority for council, but a direct road to the Powerhouse is something that needs to be constructed as well.
I think that road is essential for the future of the art centre and maybe it's something that the councillors should lobby the State Government or Federal Government to fund.
Also the area has received some $2 million of funding from the State Government to fix up the bank of the Georges River near Casula Powerhouse.
There will be a playground and a picnic area near the facility as well and once the cafe is built at the site, it will truly be a great area for locals to spend the weekend.
In my view the Casula Powerhouse is an excellent facility in the area and should be supported as much as possible, but access to it needs to be fine tuned. But local's concerns need to be listened to and the centre's features should be adjusted according to what they want.
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