Community benefits in a cup - EOI for Arana Hills Library coffee cart
Published 17 December 2021
The incredibly popular Arana Hills Library is hoping to expand its offerings in 2022 to include coffee - in addition to the playground, community garden and surrounding parklands with BBQ areas.
Expressions of Interest (EOI) are now open for a community group to operate a coffee cart or coffee van at the Library for 12 months, with an option to extend for up to three years.
Division 10 Councillor Matt Constance said Arana Hills Library welcomes around 2,540 people each week.
“We’ve heard loud and clear that locals would love to stay longer and relax at the library, but there are no retailers nearby offering food or coffee,” Cr Constance said.
“So, this is a unique and special opportunity for a not-for-profit or community group to bring a real sense of vibrancy to an already bustling precinct.
“Personally, I’d love to see a coffee van or cart that offers professional development and training for people living with disabilities, looking to gain new skills or returning to the workforce.”
The successful applicant would be provided with space to operate either a coffee cart on the library deck overlooking the park, or a coffee van in an allocated parking bay in the lower carpark.
The cart or van would be serving up not only much-needed coffee and other refreshments, but also generate revenue that would be pumped back into social and environmental benefits for the local community, while some of the funds would also be retained by the organisation to support the running costs.
A much-loved community garden installed earlier this year would provide additional opportunities for the business operator to utilise some of the produce in the refreshments they serve up.
The coffee cart or van would also be provided with free access to water and electricity to enable the sale of refreshments to visitors, with Council to cover these costs.
Applications close at 4:00pm on Friday, 11 February 2022. An information pack is available to help organisations prepare their EOI submission.
Visit https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Services/Community-Support/Arana-Hills-Coffee-Van to find out more.