A PETITION to have the Quirindi silos painted to boost the local economy has gained a large amount of signatures in a very short period of time.
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The Quirindi Silo Art Committee started the online petition on change.org on Wednesday night, and, at Friday morning, has received more than 600 signatures.
They also have a physical petition circling the Liverpool Plains Shire towns for more signatures.
The committee wants the silos to be spruced up and added to the never-ending list of silo art destinations, to bring more tourists to town.
Committee chair Ian Carter said the ultimate aim was to receive 5000 signatures, as it "would be a strong message".
Mr Carter says Liverpool Plains Shire Council (LPSC) hasn't been very positive in regards to pushing the project along, so the petition was created to show that the community wanted it to be done.
"We believe it's a weight of numbers thing to prove it's something the community wants. It'd be pretty hard to ignore if we have the whole population of the shire sign it," he told ACM.
"We need a bit of positive help from the shire and GrainCorp to start with and then we might be able to get somewhere."
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But LPSC mayor Doug Hawkins said the council wasn't negative about the project, it just wasn't a good time for the project to move forward.
He blamed the future potential rate rise as the issue.
"As a council we absolutely support the project morally, it's just that there's not a lot of money there for the council to be throwing money at this and that," Cr Hawkins said.
"The silo art project is quite popular, but we have limited space there, and what I have to see is to give the ratepayer a fair go and value for money.
"I'm pro-tourism, pro-developing the area, promoting the area and anything I can do to promote the area I'll do."
Nobody likes a rate rise, but something like this that brings people in and they spend money and generates money in the town ... I can see that people don't want it to cost them more, but we're not asking the shire to pay for it.
- Ian Carter
But Mr Carter said Quirindi had "been gradually declining over the years", and the community needed something soon "that gives [the town] a boost".
"Nobody likes a rate rise, but something like this that brings people in and they spend money and generates money in the town ... I can see that people don't want it to cost them more, but we're not asking the shire to pay for it," he explained.
"We're looking for grants to cover the cost of it, we just need a bit of positive help from the shire and a small input to get it going."
He said that rather than approaching the council for money, they were asking for small donations and have applied for a grant to kick start the process.
They've requested $4400 from a council community grants fund to cover an engineer's condition report which the committee needs "to prove [the silo] isn't going to fall down".
There are many ideas for what the art would incorporate, including sunflowers, Indigenous aspects, and the Kokoda Trail to link in with the Kokoda Track walkway project.
Other ideas for the silo art project include lighting for night-time viewing and a viewing platform from the top of the silo using an already-existing internal lift. The group is also looking at purchasing the silo from GrainCorp as it's no longer in use.
Those wanting to back the silo art project can sign the online petition via http://chng.it/RmHKtwqSYC
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Jessica Worboys
Education and youth reporter at the Northern Daily Leader. Get in touch via jessica.worboys@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Education and youth reporter at the Northern Daily Leader. Get in touch via jessica.worboys@austcommunitymedia.com.au
