Donna Demente
Full Submission

Dear WDC and constituents,

Do you value the survival of the Historic Precinct's Grainstore Gallery?

My submission to the 2026/7 Annual Plan concerns the imminent threat of closure of my widely valued and appreciated gallery due to the WDC designation of the Precinct area as 'fully commercial' as of 2023, when ground rents and rates rose astronomically, disregarding the special nature of arts projects like mine which have never and never will be valued only in a business paradigm.

My place is a community and social hub, site of daily arts engagement and broad cultural participation which has taken a very long time to create and secure, in the process garnering this town a national and international reputation for the kind of unexpected mirth it provides. For over 30 years, I have voluntarily and with great passion provided hundreds of events, exhibitions, festivals, spectacles, parades, social and community gatherings and more. I have also provided endless material for Council fundraisers over the years, from the Penguin Colony establishment to the Opera House refurbishment where my personal contribution was well over $20,000.

Endless lip service has been paid to the concept of community stakeholding and the integral community wellbeing my venture provides, and it was consistently (and publicly) promised by previous mayors that special consideration would be given to ensuring Council does not impede its ongoing operation via excessive commercial pressures.

It is no longer fair to expect the Civic Trust to adjust the distribution of these costs between tenants on this model as the entire area is being charged at full mainstreet rates; therefore me being charged less, means others must pay more and that is ridiculously unfair. My premises is essentially a very large tent in winter, with no street frontage or ability to provide a safe and healthy (warm) work environment. It also has three flights of stairs, and looming accessibility legislation will affect access should use change. It cannot be compared to mainstreet retail premises.

For decades now I have sacrificed commercial success and security to support and retain this much appreciated project. I am not asking for any kind of a handout just a reduction in unfair costs which fail to acknowledge that arts taonga like this can never be expected to compete on a purely business framework.

My request is that Council supports my continuation by alleviating $6,300 p.a. costs from the OWCT's annual invoice. The bang you get from this buck is astronomical, especially when compared to the proportionally gargantuan outlay for operation and establishment costs of the Events Centre for example. (Not to mention Better Off Soup Sipping and superfluous street furniture trials…) A single peanut if that!

I would like to speak to my submission in due course.

Sincerely,
Donna Demente