Council facilities across the Southern Grampians Shire will begin to re-open to the general public from next week.
The gradual reopening of Council’s facilities and recommencement of services from 1 June follows the Victorian Government announcement around the easing of restrictions throughout the state from 11:59pm Sunday 31 May.
Customer Service Centres at Brown Street and Market Place will open from 1 June, 8:15am – 5pm Monday to Friday. Restrictions will apply on the number of customers permitted in the building at one time and customers will be required to leave their details for the purposes of contact tracing. Increased hygiene measures will be introduced and physical distancing restrictions will be enforced.
Transfer Stations across the Southern Grampians Shire will re-open to the general public from next week with revised opening hours. Information on dates and times for each transfer station are available on Council's website.
The Greater Hamilton Library will re-open from 9 June. Opening hours will be 10am til 4pm Monday to Friday (Closed Saturdays). Numbers will be limited to 20 people at a time so customers will be asked to limit their time in the library as much as possible in fairness to others. Service restrictions and increased hygiene measures will be in place.
The Hamilton Gallery will open from 22 June. Opening hours will be 10am til 5pm Monday to Friday and Saturdays 10 til 2pm. Numbers will be limited to 20 people at a time.
HILAC will reopen from 22 June. Revised opening hours will be Monday to Friday 6:00am - 8:00pm, Saturday 8:00am - 5:00pm, Sunday 9:00am - 5:00pm. The aquatic area will close at 7:30pm Monday to Thursday and 6:30pm Friday as per normal operations, and 4:30pm Saturday and Sunday. Customers are reminded that social distancing measures remain in place and limits on the numbers of patrons permitted in the building and swimming pool at any one time will be enforced as necessary.
Southern Grampians Shire Council CEO Michael Tudball said Council are taking a measured approach to the reopening of facilities and services.
“We are pleased to be starting the gradual reopening of our facilities on Monday June 1. While the State Government has said that a number of our facilities like Libraries and Recreation facilities can be open, we are taking our time re-opening to ensure that we have all of the appropriate health and safety measures in place to protect our staff and the community,” Mr Tudball said.
“We are in the process of implementing a number of new processes to help improve staff and customer safety at our facilities. We will be asking people to sanitise upon entry to all our facilities and to provide us with their details for contact tracing purposes. We will also have strict limits on the number of people allowed in our facilities at one time, so we will be asking for cooperation with those limits.
“We are still working through an assessment process for reopening other impacted services like the Cinema, Performing Arts Centre and HRLX and will provide information on those as soon as it is available.
“Council remains committed to help slow the spread of COVID-19 within our community, to protect our staff, volunteers and visitors, and to play our role in the national response to limiting transmissions during this pandemic. We will be guided by the Victorian Government and the Department of Health and Human Services about further appropriate actions going forward.
“Council thanks all residents for their patience over the last few months and for continuing to support one another during this challenging time,” Mr Tudball concluded.