Deputy Mayor Chris Holstein has confirmed he will try again on Monday night (April 23) to get the council to earmark Poppy Park as the site for the Regional Performing Arts and Conference Centre.
He has put forward a rescission motion to change the decision made last week which was to locate the performing arts centre in Mann St, Gosford, on the old Broadwater Hotel site.
Mr Holstein said two councillors had agreed to the rescission motion and he hopes this latest opportunity will give the council one last chance to get the decision right.
Last week the Poppy Park site lost by only one vote.
Mr Holstein said the meeting spent a long time on the first item of the night, the decision on the regional library, before moving on to the regional performing arts centre more than two hours later.
He wants the councillors to have another chance to discuss the decision.
Five years ago Poppy Park, opposite the wharf on Gosford waterfront, was earmarked as the designated site as part of the waterfront revitalisation but somehow the council had got distracted and gone off on disparate directions, he said.
He believes the proposal is going to be short of funds no matter which site is chosen, but choosing Poppy Park and selling off the Broadwater hotel site would help the financial situation and give the community a good strong stake in the Gosford waterfront.
“We have to have a stake in the waterfront,” Mr Holstein said.
Last week the Mayor, the ALP councillors and Councillor Greenaway voted down the Poppy Park site which would take in part of the adjoining
road reserve of Vaughan Ave and the southern tip of leagues club park, Gosford.
Voting for Poppy Park were councillors Holstein, Rebecca Gale Collins, Jilly Pilon, Bruce McLachlan, Chris Burke and Greg Best.
When it came time to vote on the Broadwater Hotel site at 51-71 Mann Street, Gosford, as the nominated site, Councillor Gale Collins voted with the councillors who had voted down Poppy Park.
Two councillors missed last week’s extraordinary meeting on April 11.
They were councillors Doug Vincent (ALP) and Troy Marquart (Lib).
Mr Holstein said all objections to Poppy Park could be accommodated.
These included the importance and continued protection of the Memorial Park and all the significant trees on site.
The site will be centre stage this Anzac Day, starting with the dawn service.
