Plans for the Co-op's Expansion
by Alan Harrington, Co-op General Manager

Well, after a huge amount of effort by a large number of people over what seems a very long time, Caloundra City Council has given final approval to the plans for the redevelopment of Maple Street Co-operative. The work that has gone into the redevelopment has been extensive and thorough, and on behalf of the Board I thank all those who have contributed over the past few years.

These plans provide for an increase of approximately 50 per cent in space with access to the back of the Co-op via the driveway to the Council carpark. The redevelopment also includes providing wheelchair access to the front of the
Co-op.

Local builder Ed Lawley has been engaged to carry out this very important project. The budget for this redevelopment is approximately $500,000, although there are still some 'construction' matters to finalise that are expected to reduce the overall cost. These matters include things like the exact height of firewalls, rooflines, retaining walls, etc.

However, a number of matters are considered high priority and these will be attended to urgently. These include the replacement of the leaking roof, insulation of the ceiling, the installation of a ducted air conditioning system complemented by a natural cooling system and the upgrade of the electricity supply. It is considered these changes will have an immediate positive impact on the Co-op's physical environment.

The extra space will enable the Co-op to expand its product range significantly and diversify into other types of goods and services. The survey was very helpful in identifying products that members and customers would like the Co-op to stock. In this context, our objective is to make Maple Street Co-op a 'one-stop' co-operative.

As the redevelopment progresses, further details will be made available to members.

[From "Maple Street Co-op News", December 2006/January 2007; published by The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny, Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.co-op@serv.net.au,
website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]