Construction of the Frankston Cultural Centre (renamed the Frankston Arts Centre)

Construction of Stage One of the Frankston Cultural Centre (renamed the Frankston Arts Centre in 2001) began in April 1993 on council land opposite the Civic Centre between Playne Street and Davey Street.   This location was chosen as an intersection between the municipal centre and the commercial activity of the Central Business District. 

In the preceding years it had been established that there was a real lack of arts, cultural and community emphasis in the municipality.   Although there had been progress in the commercial centre of the City of Frankston there had been no matching development of facilities to support the cultural lifestyle of the community.  Five independent studies were commissioned by Council during the 1980's and early 1990's and all recommended that the Theatre/Library was not only a viable option but would fulfill a vital need in the community by providing a key cultural focus for both present and future generations.  

An independent market research and financial feasibility study undertaken by Ecoconsult Pty Ltd concluded:

"The importance of such a facility is not only for local groups to have a place to perform or for the schools to have a venue for end of year events, but to also be a Theatre which will attract and have the ability to stage a variety of professional or popular appeal shows, thus enabling the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula residents to attend shows locally.  The benefits of this are two-fold: firstly, it allows the community to have greater access to a variety of live performances; secondly, it is of economic benefit to the municipality as it is both "keeping the dollars/profits in Frankston" and attracting new "dollars" into the municipality from audience members from outside the region."

Another of the studies concluded that the current location of the library in Central Park was inadequate:

"The City Library has been located in the current premises since 1977.  At that time the library had 18 staff, held a stock of 78,000 books and materials and the number of items loaned for the year was 657,000.  The library currently has 26 staff, holds a stock of over 120,000 books and materials and issues over one million items annually.  It is currently the biggest single library service point in Victoria."

The Cultural Centre was designed by Darryl Jackson Architects Pty Ltd and built by Salzer Constructions and the local building company Mackie and Staff.  Council was keen to involve local contractors and suppliers in order to boost the Frankston economy (at this time the building industry was the largest single employer of labour in the Frankston region).  An agreement was reached between Council and Salzer/Mackie that a minimum of 50% of the contract value worth at least $5 million be spent through local business and employment.

The City of Frankston received a grant of $3 million from the Federal Government's Communities at Work - Local Capital Works Program which enabled the building of the complex to be brought forward; Frankston City Council contributed $11.6 million; $1 million was raised by public funding; and the Victoria State Government contributed $500,000.

The Heart of the City Appeal under the chairmanship of John Pennell was launched on 10 November 1993 and targeted corporate sponsors and major donors. The names of major donors would be listed on a major donor honour board in the foyer of the centre and large donations would receive naming rights for a part of the centre.  

The public face of this appeal was the Stepping Stones Appeal under the chairmanship of Cr. Noel Ferguson. Members of the community were invited to sponsor a paving brick which would be named and laid in the forecourt of the new centre.  There were three categories of sponsorship: sponsorship of a paving brick for $100, where the person's name would be listed on an honour board in the foyer of the centre; sponsorship of a paving brick for $50 where the person would also receive a certificate; and sponsorship of $25 for a paving brick. Children were encouraged to sign or draw their own forecourt stepping stone before it was baked. 

The new Cultural Centre was to incorporate a regional performing arts theatre with 810 seating capacity, full fly tower and orchestra pit; a modern municipal library with a floor area of 2600m²  (double the floor space of the former library) to serve a population of over 100,000; three levels of underground parking for 330 vehicles; convention/function centre with full kitchen facilities and up to 400 dining capacity and 600 seated theatre style; and a toy library.  Stage One of the project included the library, theatre and car parking and the building shell for the function centre and toy library.  Fitting out of the function centre and toy library was to be undertaken in Stage Two of the project.

The Frankston R E Ross Library opened to the public on 2^nd May 1995 (officially opened on 22 October 1995) having completed the enormous task of relocating more than 120,000 items from the Central Park branch in six working days.   The new Frankston Library was also offering the latest in technology.  In an interview with the Frankston Standard, Heather Phillips (Chief Librarian) stated:

“By May 20^th the Library should be linked to the VicNet information database with access to State Library and RMIT resources.  Eventually, the library will be connected to the InterNet, the information superhighway that will give library users access to the vast resources of libraries and major institutions around the world.  An $80,000 grant has been sought to plug into the global network”.

The Cultural Centre was officially opened on Saturday 20^th May 1995 by Prime Minister Paul Keating followed by a gala event ‘Together, Here, Now’ which involved approximately 3000 performers.  The program included the Frankston Ladies Choir; the Australian Welsh Choir; and the Builders Ballet, composed by Robert John, which traced the construction of the centre from beginning to end.  The background beat was reminiscent of construction equipment and a selection of photographs from this Glenn Harper Collection were projected onto a screen above the dancers. 

Community was the centrepiece of Prime Minister Paul Keating’s opening speech, stressing the importance to the nation of ‘vibrant communities working together’:

“While trades, exports and policy development are important to Australia’s future, the vital ingredient is the community.  Our communities are the heart and soul of the nation.  The cultural centre, a result of community and government efforts, will provide a focus, a gathering place in which all citizens shared a sense of ownership and belonging”.