Paving the way for future generations of residents is a focus for Oberon Council according to mayor Mark Kellam.
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In a move to do just that, Council approved the Development Application for the Community Hub Project at its Ordinary meeting on Tuesday, March 15.
The Hub has been in the pipeline since 2008 and Cr Kellam said the DA approval was a major step forward for the community.
"There is a great appetite for community infrastructure and we need it [the Hub] for in 10 years time, 20 years time and 30 years time, it's being built for the future," he said.
"And it doesn't mean we're going to stop building roads, sewerage treatment plants or sportsgrounds, it just means it's another aspect of what we need to build for the community."
The proposed Hub will be located on Dart Street and aims to incorporate the current Community Centre into an expanded library and variety of community spaces.
Friends of Oberon Library member Kathy Sajowitz said the Hub will be a space for community groups to hold meetings, fundraising events, classes and exhibitions at no cost to them.
"It will be wonderful to see the much loved Oberon Library expanded and modernised and able to offer modern programs to all residents," she said.
"Once complete the Hub will have ample space for young people to gather and study and for seniors to enjoy a centrally located, easily accessible Community Technology Centre (CTC).
She said the incorporation of a business hub and study centre would also allow Oberon to team up with various university's and offer external study courses.
"The Hub will be an exciting community space, it will be our space and a home for the recently restored Bicentennial Tapestries," she said.
Parking facilities for the Hub will be in close proximity with the use of the Council owned carpark behind the IGA and there will be pedestrian links between the Hub and Main Street.
To help make the project a reality $220,000 was allocated from the Town Improvement Fund over two years along with funding from The State Library.
The Federal Government supported the project with a $100,000 and a further $3 million came from the State Government to complete the project.
This means the project is 94 per cent externally grant funded and the funding must be used for the Community Hub and can't be repurposed.
"If the project doesn't go ahead we'd have to return the funds in full, in my opinion this could affect future grant funding opportunities," Ms Sajowitz said.
She said a common term of local government was 'Roads, Rates and Rubbish' but she said 'Residents, Roads, Rates and Rubbish should be the mantra.
"With the emphasis on residents, social and cultural aspects build strong communities and this proposed space will support that concept for all demographics within our community," she said.
"It is so important that we build not only for now, but for the future," she said.
"The demands of our grandchildren will be different from those of us more senior residents today, I'm pleased to see that our Council has a social vision for the town.
"Oberon is a growing community, we need to grow with it and not hold it back," she said.
The project will come to the April meeting for final endorsement and once given the green-light construction can start within as little as two weeks with a completion frame of 12 months.