Northern Grampians Shire Council is pleased to announce a number of our services will be opening to the public again but with strict conditions in place to ensure safety during the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic.
While some services and facilities are able to reopen, council asks the public to be aware of the conditions when accessing services and only attend these services if absolutely necessary.
Our customer service centres in Stawell and St Arnaud will reopen on Monday 1 June with limits on the number of people able to be in the reception areas at any one time.
The Stawell Town Hall office will be open from 8.30am to 4.45pm, Monday to Friday with a limit of five small groups and patrons will be required to stand on the marked areas of the floor.
The St Arnaud Office will be open 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday with a limit of six people in total allowed in the reception area at any time.
Social distancing protocols of 1.5 metres distance between people will be expected and enforced within the customer service areas and hand sanitiser will be provided at both the entry and exit of customer service centres.
Clear plastic screens will be installed at the customer service desks to ensure the safety of staff and the community. We ask everyone to respect staff and other members of the public as we adjust to these new working conditions.
Libraries in the Northern Grampians will also be opening their doors on Tuesday 2 June and have implemented conditions of entry and use as well.
There will be a mandatory recording of names of visitors who stay in the libraries for more than 15 minutes. Computer usage will not be available during the first week of opening.
The libraries will not be able to accommodate people sitting and reading in the library during this first stage of opening.
The Stawell Sports & Aquatic Centre (SSAC) will open the indoor pool for public use on 1 June while the remainder of the facility, including the spa, gym, stadium, and racquetball courts will remain closed until 22 June.
The heated indoor pool will have a two-person per swimming lane limit in effect as per State Government directions in regards to Coronavirus restrictions.
Before attending SSAC, patrons must sign in and complete a COVID-19 screening questionnaire and must sanitise hands upon entry with provided sanitiser.
A limit of 20 patrons within the facility at one time will apply and there will be access to the toilets
but no access to the change rooms areas or showers.
Northern Grampians Shire Council Mayor, Murray Emerson, said even though we are opening some services, the message remains that if you can stay at home you should stay at home.
“We have a great many of our services which can be accessed and utilised either over the phone or via our website and I urge the community to treat accessing these services in person as a last resort,” he said.
“It’s a wonderful thing we can begin to open our services back up again but we are not out of the woods yet and this pandemic is still an ongoing problem.”
“Be aware of the conditions set for entry, keep your distance from other people, and increase hygiene practices such as hand washing and sanitising before and after you enter buildings.”
Before attending in person at our customer service centres, please call
