Kiosk tender to be advertised for the third time

The tender to operate the kiosk on the concourse outside Woy Woy Ovalwill be advertised by Central Coast Council for the third time.

The kiosk has been empty since the redeveloped oval was officially opened in 2015,

Peninsula business woman Ms Gabby Greyem, who operates the Jasmine Greens cafe at Umina, said she was the successful tenderer in February 2016.

"Now they are putting it out to tender again, for the third time," Ms Greyem said.

"As I understood it I was the successful tenderer in February 2016 and in that time we have had Council amalgamated," she said.

"I was dealing with Parks and Facilities Department who tendered it out and designed it.

"They are a fabulous team who have a philosophy of activating parks, putting in cafes to allow the park's care and maintenance to be paid for from the cafe rent.

"The Woy Woy Oval cafe was then moved to the Council's Property Department that has had at least four different executive management team changes in the past two years.

"With each team, I have been given different terms and a different lease.

"Just last week I received an email from one of the property managers telling me the process had taken too long and they would be re-tendering.

"It has been a lot of miscommunication with council presenting me with lease documents that did not represent the original, with crippling restrictions and quadrupling of rents in very short timeframes that would have been impossible for me to meet.

"They have refused to meet with me and my solicitors.

"I won't be tendering again.

"They wanted me to open it within two weeks of successfully tendering and I said I would achieve that and here we are over two years later with no key.

"You are never dealing with the same person.

"No one has any history.

"I have spent over $6000 in legal fees on that lease negotiation that has gone nowhere.

"The property department within Central Coast Council is very corporatised and money geared, with a lot of ex-corporate executives there who have no connection with the community's aims and outcomes and the parks team that designed the facilities are locked out of negotiations.

"My goal is to create positive communities and I have done that at Umina.

"I would have intended to do that in Woy Woy but not under the terms that were presented to me."

SOURCE:

Interview, 13 Jun 2018

Gabby Greyem, Jasmine Greens

Reporter: Jackie Pearson