Cooling off a community

GREATER Dandenong cool rooms could automatically open at a trigger temperature in the future.
A heatwave in January prompted City of Greater Dandenong to activate its heatwave plan and open designated air-conditioned spaces to the public for the first time.
Springers Leisure Centre in Keysborough, Dandenong Oasis, Jan Wilson Community Centre in Noble Park North and Paddy O’Donoghue Centre in Noble Park all welcomed hot and bothered residents and served up cold water as the temperature soared above 40 degrees on consecutive days.
Mayor Jim Memeti said the spaces worked very well.
“It’s mainly for people who don’t have air-conditioning,” he said.
“Feedback from the community who used the cool rooms was fantastic.
“But how we can make sure that the community knows that it’s open?”
Cr Memeti will now ask whether a trigger temperature to automatically open the rooms could be set and publicised.
“I’m not sure what temperature we should set it,” he said.
“Somewhere in the high 30s, and everyone needs to know that temperature.”