Saints go cashing in with discount lease Neil Walker neil@mpnews.com.au THE St Kilda Football Club’s welcome back to Moorabbin Reserve, and impending exit from Seaford, is official after Kingston Council voted to approve a 50-year lease at Linton St for the AFL club. Kingston councillors voted at a public council meeting last Monday evening (22 August) to give the Saints a 25year lease with an option for a further 25 years despite some community concern about a $420,000 rates discount over the first decade of the lease. An 84 per cent reduction on building rent means the football club will pay $80,000 rather than $500,000 in building rent over the first ten years. Kingston ratepayers objecting to the lease believed St Kilda FC should not receive a discount since council is contributing $5 million worth of ratepayers’ money to the $28.4 million redevelopment of Linton St. Objectors were also unhappy at the club continuing to have 83 pokies machines at the venue. At last week’s council meeting councillors voiced some concerns about St Kilda’s previous behaviour when it quit Moorabbin six years ago and moved club administration work and training sessions to Seaford.
Frankston Council spent $4 million of its ratepayers’ money enticing the AFL club to Seaford after the Saints fell out with Kingston Council over a planned redevelopment at Linton St. At last week’s council meeting Cr Ron Brownlees insisted the terms of the new lease are not as beneficial to the club as the terms offered in 2010 despite concerns about the hefty building rent discount. “They [St Kilda FC] were getting a much better deal before than what they getting now – trust me,” he said. “This is a quite a reasonable outcome, I think, for all parties. Cr Steve Staikos noted St Kilda had not been “a perfect tenant” in Kingston in the past but he argued the club’s management is now different and is committed to making a contribution back to the community. “It’s a different club to what it was and I believe they’re very sincere in their ambition to become a top-tier AFL club and engage with the community.” The club will have to conduct annual maintenance to the Linton St oval and building. Cr John Ronke expressed concern that council will directly profit from electronic gaming machines and alcohol sales at Linton St since gaming rent of $48,555 annually and an estimated $20,000 each year based on 2
per cent of expected liquor sales, are listed as separate items in the lease. The previous lease before 2010 applied a flat rate “for less” than the new lease and did not itemise gaming and liquor sales fees payable to council, according to council CEO John Nevins. “I’m very much in favour of St Kilda coming back to Moorabbin, they are a different club now … but I am uncomfortable with itemising as part of a lease arrangement, linking the arrangements to gaming rent and liquor rent,” Cr Ronke said. “Personally, I don’t like the connotation that council now is making money from gaming through this association with the lease and having a revenue turnover from liquor sales.” All Kingston councillors voted to approve the lease to St Kilda FC with the exceptions of Crs David Eden and Rosemary West who abstained from voting on the matter. Frankston Council CEO Dennis Hovenden says negotiations over the Saints’ exit from Linen House in Seaford are ongoing. “A detailed report will be provided to Council on options for the future use of the facility at the appropriate time,” Mr Hovenden said in a statement. “Council looks forward to seeing its investment in this facility being made available for other uses.”
Best wishes: Joyce Milne and Edna Arnot were guests of honour at Tootgarook seniors’ birthday bash.
Double century celebrations TOOTGAROOK Senior Citizens put on a special afternoon tea for longserving members Edna Arnot and Joyce Milne last week to mark their 100th birthdays. Ms Milne and others had been having meetings in their homes before the club was built in November 1967, president Sheila Manser said. “She joined in August 1969 and, as a foundation member, she and others worked hard to get things for the club by collecting newspapers, bottle drives and endless cake stalls. “Once they moved into the hall they had the trading table which brought in more money which went to putting on the new bowling area which is always in use.” Ms Milne has been involved in so many things within the club that she was made a life member in 1983-84. “It’s a pity we don’t see Joyce as often
as we would like since she moved in with her daughter Beth at Noble Park but, when she’s at Rosebud, she always makes sure to visit – so keep knitting, girls in the craft room, as Joyce will be after your knitted coat hangers,” Ms Manser said. Ms Arnot joined the club in June 1981, enjoying tai chi, keeping fit, square dancing and the variety group. “Edna and Betty Carter made all the costumes for the square dancing,” Ms Manser said. “When we needed anything for the variety shows Edna would always be saying, ‘I have this bit of red material which I think would make some nice jackets …’ “Well, we had eight guardsmen so out comes this material about 18 inches wide and she dressed them all in these beautiful red jackets with gold braid. The sad thing was that we only wore them once.”
Southern Peninsula News 30 August 2016
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