A LIONS Club-led community committee is set to take over management of Cohuna Aerodrome at the end of the month, with the Gannawarra Shire Council last week extending the end date for its licence with Coliban Water until September 30.
The new committee will be made up of representatives of the Lions Club of Cohuna, Cohuna Model Flying Club and hangar owners, who have been meeting regularly with Coliban Water and shire executives to discuss arrangements.
The council recently organised airfield management training for members of the group.
Hangar owner and pilot Dr Peter Barker was positive about the new committee last week.
“We’re delighted that the Lions Club has stepped up so quickly and taken it on,” he said.
He also praised Cohuna Model Flying Club for its involvement.
“Cohuna people have done a fantastic job stepping up to this rapid change of management.
“We would’ve liked a bit more time but we’re very happy now it’s going to turn out OK.”
Coliban Water managing director Damian Wells described the council’s licence extension as “an important step” in keeping the aerodrome operational.
“Since day one, Coliban Water has been fully committed to supporting the Cohuna community, aerodrome users and Gannawarra Shire Council to seek continuity of operations at the Cohuna aerodrome,” he said.
“The extension council has made this week is an important step towards making that happen.
“I would like to congratulate and thank the Lions Club of Cohuna and the aerodrome users for their community leadership on this matter and stepping up when it was needed most.”
The Gannawarra Shire Council surprised Coliban Water and many in the Cohuna community when it moved to end its decades-long airfield licence arrangement with the water authority in June, having signed a five-year lease in January 2019.
The move followed a year of conflict between the council and Cohuna Aviation Club and its supporters over a $2.57 million federal election commitment for an upgrade that, unusually, was awarded to the club without involvement from the council.
The council initially queried whether the grant was genuine and subsequently disputed that the extension of the runway and other planned work could be done for the projected cost, claiming it had never received adequate documentation for the project.The CEO also said depreciation costs that would be required to be paid on the upgraded infrastructure would be a significant burden to ratepayers.
The push by the aviation club to expand and upgrade facilities at the aerodrome was the latest of a series of unsuccessful attempts over a decade to do so.
Tensions around the grant and its handling contributed to internal council tensions and the resignation of councillors Sonia Wright and Mark Arians in February.
Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh raised the issue three times in State Parliament and called for an investigation into governance at Gannawarra Shire Council.
In council documents, staff pointed out that it was unusual to have two airfields as close together as Kerang and Cohuna and described the Cohuna aerodrome, which in contrast to Kerang’s is an unregistered airstrip, as a “duplicate asset”.
The council said it would save an estimated $37,105 a year by no longer running the aerodrome, which it said was not a “core service”.
At the June ordinary council meeting, where councillors voted 4-2 on a motion to end the licence, Cr Brian Gibson successfully moved an amendment requiring the council to work with community groups to ensure the airfield’s continued viability.
