MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE TOWN COUNCIL

Held on Monday 28th June 2007

Present:
Cllr A Howard, Town Mayor (in the Chair)

Cllrs Mrs I Daw, Mrs C Lewis, Miss H Parkhurst, S Pratley, P K Prince, G Richards, E Rolls, Mrs M Roll, Mrs J Taylor.

Town Clerk

In Attendance: 16 pupils of Tennyson High School
Mr M MacDonald (Mablethorpe Business and Tourism Development Manager)
Mr M Eyre (Executive Deputy Headteacher, Tennyson High School)

27. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received and accepted from Cllrs B Dobbs (personal), G Gooding (personal), Mrs J Gooding (personal), P Jackson (personal), Mrs M Morgan (illness), R B Shields, MBE (personal),
C Tebbutt (personal).

28. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Cllr Mrs J Taylor declared a personal interest in minute 29 due to her daughter being a staff member of Tennyson High School.

Cllr P K Prince declared a personal interest in minute 29 due to his involvement with Tennyson High School.

Cllr A Howard declared a personal interest in minute 29 due to being a governor of Tennyson High School and a member of the school’s Improvement Board.

29. PRESENTATION OF STUDENTS’ PROJECTS

Before the students presented their various projects, Mr M McDonald gave a brief introduction of how the projects were being developed by the students and about their commitment and enthusiasm to make Mablethorpe a better place to live.

(1) “Chill-out” café
A group of students gave a presentation on their vision for a chill-out café for the young people of the town. A budget of about £18,500 was required to fit out and equip the facility. The students stressed that the facility should provide what the young people want, not what other people think they want.

Members of the Town Council asked a number of questions about possible premises to locate the café in, the availability of grants from organisations such as Ikea, computer companies, Community Chest, Sport England, etc and the age range of potential users of the café.

In response, the students provided details of secured funding in the sum of £80,000 for redevelopment of the Youth Centre and that the facility would be open to all 11 to 16 year olds in the town.

(2) Skate Park
The Skate Park Group informed the Town Council of the need to identify a suitable site to locate a £20,000 skate park which had been obtained for the town. In addition to a site, the group were looking for funding to provide a roof for the skate park at an estimated cost of £48,000.

A number of Town Councillors asked questions about the size of the skate park, what proposals the group had for raising funds, such as sale of refreshments, and how the facility would be secured and protected from vandalism.

The group confirmed that the skate park was 40 metres long by 15 metres wide. It was thought security could be provided by the installation of CCTV.

(3) Recording Studio
The group of students working on the Recording Studio Project presented their proposals. They provided details of the equipment required with estimated costs totalling £9,350. The studio would be located in the old library, subject to negotiations with the County Council as owner of the building.

In response to questions from members of the Town Council, it was confirmed that the school would be including media studies in the curriculum for the 2007/08 academic year. Details were also given of discussions to link with Boston College and Lincoln University to provide outreach facilities.

A member of the Town Council suggested that sponsorship could be sought from Sky Television and that a recording should be produced to promote the project.

(4) Swimming Pool
The presentation from the students set out the benefits of providing a swimming pool for the town. This included the provision of jobs, health benefits for all ages and an additional attraction for tourism.

There was detailed discussion regarding the size and type of pool required, the ongoing operating costs and the previous projects for a swimming pool. Suggestions were made for possible funding through sponsorship and grants.

The Mayor concluded the meeting by thanking the students from Tennyson High School for their excellent presentations and their commitment to the projects. He also thanked the members of the Town Council for their contribution and suggestions.