Kiosk kaput??

By Simon Forbes and Rachel Trenholme

Local residents show support for Lakeside Cafe operators Ally and Mark in their efforts to find out what the future of their business is at Reddall Reserve.

LOCAL Warilla residents are concerned about plans by Shellharbour City Council and the Lake Illawarra Authority to redevelop the Warilla Kiosk and Lakeside Cafe site at Reddall Reserve into a 5-star restaurant facility.

The issue came to light at the last Council meeting on September 26 at which a motion was put by Crs John Leedham and Tim Hore that Council officers liaise with the Lake Illawarra Authority for the formation of a lease document for future operation of the facility, including tender advertising seeking potential operators of the new facility. In spite of concerns expressed at the council meeting by Crs Helen Stewart and Geoff Rose, the motion was carried.

What has got locals upset, according to Warilla resident, Bob Parsons, is the fact that the current operators of the Lakeside Cafe at the kiosk are not being kept informed by Council of their plans or intentions.

Ally and Mark have been operating the kiosk here for the last three years and now they dont know what their future will be, said Mr Parsons.

Theyve been battling to make a living out of the kiosk, sinking all their savings into equipment, maintenance and survival, just waiting for the lake entrance to open again and start seeing a return on their investment and now, with the lake opening looking like it will happen early next year, it looks like Council are going to pull the rug out from under them without even telling them where they stand or what is going on.

Ally and Mark, and the kiosk, have become an integral part of the lakeside foreshore community over the last three years, providing inexpensive food and beverages, maintaining the public toilets and they are renowned for fixing up the scraped knees of the local children who come to the park to play.

Over the years, say residents, the park and the kiosk have become a mecca for working class families to come and enjoy some low cost, safe, family oriented waterside relaxation.

We want to keep this area family orientated, said Mr Parsons.

We are not against development or improvement but not at the expense of local families or the kiosk operators.

People come to this park for a relaxed, inexpensive day out.

The kiosk is an asset to the area in terms of security and the area has the potential to include more low cost family activities such as canoeing, pelican feeding and boat hire.

Crs Goeff Rose and Helen Stewart say they are concerned about the lack of community consultation over the proposal as well as the long-term viability of such an undertaking. This is something that requires a lot of community consultation and forward planning, Cr. Stewart said.

What ever plans might emerge, it should include a kiosk facility to cater for the budget conscious families visiting the area and the current operators should be given first option to operate such a facility within the development.

Councillor Rose says that it is a blow for the battlers.

If the development is not properly planned, it could mean that the battlers will be forced out of the area because it will be too expensive to buy a drink or snack here, Cr Rose said.

But the worst thing at the moment is that Ally and Mark havent been kept informed by council of any intentions for the area.

They dont know whether to sink more money into the business, or what they should do because they even know how long they will be allowed to keep operating the kiosk.

Ally and Mark say they are nervous about rocking the boat too much.

We dont want to get on the wrong side of council, said Ally.

We would just like some kind of timeframe to work within.

I rang them about three weeks ago and still have not heard anything back from them.

At this stage we cannot commit to our suppliers for even the smallest orders because we dont know how long well be here.

The young couple say they have barely made a profit since the lake closed and all their income has gone back into the business to keep it afloat. Last week they sold their 6 canoes, because the Lake Illawarra authority will no longer allow them operate their canoe hire business.

Ally and mark say they would be prepared to pay any increase in rent to be part of the proposed new facility if it meant they could keep their livelihood. But with no communication from council as yet, they have no idea what their future holds.