Mid-Western Regional Councillor Paul Cavalier has revealed plans to put forth two notices of motion at the next Mid-Western Council meeting on Wednesday, February 2 to explore the possibility and practicality of both a BMX pump track and drive-in movie theatre in Mudgee.
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This week, the lot that the Dubbo Westview drive-in is located was sold after more than a decade on the market. Its owners posted to social media saying that after the final screening in April, the equipment that makes the drive-in possible will be effectively up for grabs.
"We've had so many visitors commenting that they wish they had one [drive-in] in their town. Well here is your chance to lobby your local council and make it happen," wrote Jason Yelverton who made the post and led the revival of the drive-in theatre in the past.
In the news:
The idea for a BMX track was a result of community feedback and something Cr Cavalier became more interested in over time.
Councillor Cavalier made a comment expressing his interest and confirmed he will introduce a notice of motion at the next meeting with an aim to explore the idea. If no fellow Councillors second these motions then it is all for naught but Councillor Cavalier is confident the two ideas are worth exploring.
"I think both of these opportunities would be great for our region," he said.
"The BMX Pump track appears to be a project that provides huge benefits for a lower capital cost than many other projects we've undertaken in the past. We aren't entirely sure of the finer details regarding the drive-in cinema at this point, but if there's an opportunity to bring it to our region, I think the ratepayers would be extremely happy about that.
"I feel it's ultimately our role to seek out and investigate opportunities for the region that align with the wants and needs of our ratepayers, and I think both of these potential opportunities tick the boxes."
A common idea shared on social media is that there is a dearth of options in the Mudgee area that cater to children, teens and young families. Cr Cavalier disagrees but said it's important to always be looking for new ideas.
"I think there are already plenty of things for young people to do in our region. It seems to be a misconception, but may be driven by people who have chosen to relocate to the region from metropolitan areas where there are plenty more things available for them to do," he said.
"It's important for us to actively seek out new opportunities, especially as our region grows. A range of options and some diversity is certainly healthy for any region, and I'm all for supporting that.
"We also have to be mindful of how much our region can support. Flooding the region with things to do can have a negative impact.
"Whenever we add new things, we need to ensure it doesn't impact the viability of other activities and businesses that operate in the region. There's a limit to how much we can support."