By CASEY NEILL
VIEWERS will shape content for the seven metre-wide digital screen in Dandenong’s new civic square.
Films, movies, gaming, arts and community features and interactive initiatives are all on the cards once the screen is switched on at the precinct’s opening celebrations on 12 April.
“We’ll have to determine what the community wants on the screen, what they’re interested in seeing,” communications and customer service manager Kylie Sprague said.
“We’ve got some special material for the launch that’s been organised.
“And the night of the launch we’ve got the family movie The Lorax showing.
Ms Sprague said City of Greater Dandenong had an agreement with Federation Square and the Northbridge Plaza screen in Perth to share content.
“We’ve also entered into an agreement for Discussions in Space, which is an opportunity for us to be interactive with the community,” she said.
“We’ll be doing some of that on launch day.
“A question will go up on the screen and anyone in the area just has to SMS and their responses go up on the screen.”
Ms Sprague said the screen would be “very community-based”.
“We’re not accepting advertising at this stage. It won’t be corporately-driven,” she said.
Mayor Jim Memeti said the council would screen big events like the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Tennis Open – or the soccer World Cup.
“If Australia does win a game or two, I bet you they’ll be there at three in the morning,” he laughed.
About 2000 people can comfortably fit in the space.
“If it’s a big event and people want to come, we’ll have it up,” he said.
“That’s what the people in community are talking about – coming to a space where it’s theirs and enjoying an evening or an afternoon.”
Cr Memeti said the council had hired a full-time staff member who had previously managed the screen at Federation Square.
“We could actually go and get stories made up within the community, to promote community groups and events,” he said.
Ms Sprague said hosting concerts and simulcasting them on the screen was an option.
“We’ve got the opportunity to do that if the community are interested,” she said.
“We’ve got the stage and we’ve got the ability then to mirror that up on the screen.
“All the infrastructure’s there, ready to go. It’ll be driven really by what the community wants to see.”
The community can also access new meeting spaces in the civic building.
“The council meeting space is only a chamber every second Monday night,” Ms Sprague said.
“The rest of the time it’s available for community use. So we take bookings.”
The community can enjoy new cafes, restaurants and retail stores at the square, and the council’s service centre is more accessible.
Its call centre is now located just behind the general inquiries counter on level two.
“So when it gets particularly busy out the front, the staff out the back can easily come out and serve,” Ms Sprague said.
“We average 500 calls a day to our call centre.
“We still have our service centres at Springvale, Parkmore and we have one at Paddy O’Donoghue Centre.”
