The Southern Downs Regional Council says as the Granite Belt continues to recover from the bush fires, a new community hub will open its doors to residents next Tuesday 1 October.
In a statement the council said the new “Granite Belt Community Hub will be located at 40 Maryland Street and replaces the Community Recovery Hub, which closes (tomorrow) Friday 27 September 2019”.
“While the closure of the existing hub means a short downtime for residents, the new hub will offer the same service and continue to be a one-stop shop for fire affected residents with grant and recovery information and services accessible through various agencies,” a spokeswoman said.
Mayor Tracy Dobie said the bushfire recovery phase was “a long journey” and encouraged residents to “reach out and ask for assistance and information at the Granite Belt Community Hub”.
“The Granite Belt Community Hub is a one-stop shop for people to get answers to questions they might have and get linked in to appropriate services,” Cr Dobie said.
“It is important for our bush fire affected residents to ask questions to see what assistance they may be able to access,” she said.
“We encourage anyone with concerns after the bush fires to touch base with our hub staff and the various government and non-government agencies on-site.
“As well as bush fire recovery assistance, the new community hub will also include local business displays and a mini library for children with scheduled story times every Tuesday at 3:30pm and Thursday at 10:30am.
“As part of Council’s long term vision and planning for the Granite Belt, a series of public workshops are also scheduled to assist with the development of the Urban Design Framework for the region.
“Council staff will be on hand at the hub to help answer questions.
“The workshops and opportunity for public consultation will build on Council’s Granite Belt – Your Vision, Our Future project.
“The initial Community Recovery Hub at the Stanthorpe Civic Centre was activated immediately post-bushfires to assist residents with immediate solutions for damages and displacement, however long term accommodation for a recovery hub was necessary which resulted in the relocation to Maryland Street.”
• Granite Belt Community Hub Location: 40 Maryland Street, Stanthorpe (between the Reject Shop and Target Country)
• Opening hours: 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday
• Opening date: Tuesday 1 October 2019
• Please contact Council on 1300 697 372 for more information.
