MEMBERS of the Hastings Western Port Historical Society say calls for repairs to the 133-year-old Hastings Latter Day Saints Church porch and the early fisherman’s cottage are being ignored.
Vice-president John Woolley said Mornington Peninsula Shire Council was not meeting its maintenance and improvement “obligations” to the society and called for it to “correct the bad appearance and anomalies”.
He said the public perception was that the society was to blame for the state of disrepair.
Prior to COVID – which shut down all projects on council-owned society’s sites – work had started on porch project.
Woolley said council regulations prevented any participation by volunteers.
“For three years the porch has languished in a storage yard,” he said.
“The contractor installed the footings and has not returned … a grant of $5000 dollars was allotted to the project, of which $1500 still remains in the society’s trust account.
“The early fisherman`s cottage is suffering from rot in the weather boards and window on the west wall, again neglected.
“The floor needs attention, [which is] preventing the cottage from being open for display and it is one of the most popular exhibits on the site. This in turn is showing up in visitor disappointment, due to its closure to the public.
“The cottage front fence is nothing short of a visual disgrace.”
Woolley said the Hasting pier area was popular with locals and visitors.
The council was contacted for comment.
First published in the Western Port News – 27 July 2022
