A decision will be made on the permanent official name for the Trentham Community Hub tonight (Tuesday).
Work on the multi-million development on the long term site of the town’s mechanics’ institute began in June 2022, with construction expected to be completed early next year.
What the new facility should be called has led to some prolonged differences of opinion among Trentham area residents.
Hepburn Shire Council worked with a six-member local project advisory group to encourage community members to make submissions on what they think the new building should be called.
The PAG provided two options to get the public thinking.
They were ‘Mechanics at Trentham’, and ‘Trentham and Districts Community Centre’. Individuals could also put in their own ideas.
Social media has been active, with various suggestions, including ’The Billy O’Connell Hub’ and ‘Wombats Den’.
The community poll attracted 205 submissions, approximately 87 per cent from people within the Coliban Ward.
A report to tonight’s council meeting recommends the official name be ‘ The Mechanics Trentham’, a very slightly modified version of what the project group favoured.
“Given the unlimited number of options for the naming of the facility, there exists a risk that some members of the community will be dissatisfied with the facility name,” a report to tonight’s council meeting states.
“This has been mitigated to a degree by allowing the option of submitting a facility name other than the suggestions by the PAC.”
The state government has contributed $3.5 million and the federal government $1.1 towards the project, which was costed at $6 million when the project launch announcement was made in mid-2022.
