Council Update

Most of you will be aware that there has been ongoing discussions with Council regarding policies for Outdoor Fitness Trainers. Our biggest fear all along had been that the Site Licences would become a bidding war, with sites awarded to the highest bidders. Council assured us that this would not be the case, and that the sites would be awarded via an expression of interest.

We have today been notified that we are to submit Quotations for our specific sites by 1 October, which leads me to believe our original fears have been realised and that popular sites will be subject to a bidding war. I will also be required to pay for an additional mobile PT licence, separate to the site licence fees. But again, Council assured us this wasn't a revenue raising opportunity!

Regardless of this, it will mean that we may need to rationalise the number of sites that we currently operate from with our Groups. This is where I need your assistance.

Our current sites are:
Thirroul Beach - we moved here for winter due to the lighting.
Bulli Park - Our Bootcamp site which has it's ups and downs (literally!!!!).
Nicholson Park, Woonona - our mid morning and Saturday site.

This is where I need your assistance - which is your preferred training area for the next 6 months? I think we will always try and move to Thirroul for the winter training due to the adequate lighting provided there.

If you could please help us to determine our best 'primary' site, would be greatly appreciated!

Please vote on the Poll that is located on the right hand side of this page.

Thanks for your help in this, and see you all at training

Wollongong Council's proposal

So... the Council have finally passed their draft proposal on how to handle all of us renegade fitness trainers.

Whilst the majority of us would be in favour of some type of licensing arrangement, why should we be the only users of 'public land' for 'private enterprise' that need to submit a quote indicating a dollar figure that we think we should pay for the use of whichever parcel of land that we want to train on?

Surely a simple $1000 per annum fee or something along those lines would be a fairer way to offer these licences? At least then we know what we are up for. But, to simply say we need to quote... what if we don't quote high enough for the revenue raisers?? What then of our business?

Council issues.

http://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/business/lcencesregulations.asp
Can anyone see here, where it states about licences for fitness trainers?
Now, council are in the process of lodging development applications across various parcels of land (see DA-2008/1794) so that we can all be treated 'fairly' and 'tender' for the use of the land.
Wonder how much we'll all need to tender? What if we're not successful? do we have to shut up shop?
I'm all for paying a licence fee to the council for the use of land - but in a transparent way, not in this underhanded way, which is obviously only designed to be fair to Council and increase their fees.
The story is here:

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/General/council-fee-plan-angers-outdoor-fitness-trainers/1401053.aspx