Local residents Dorin Suciu, Douglas Bear and Bernie Costello outside Valentine Hall.
VALENTINE residents are fuming over inaction on their local hall, speculating the site will be developed for private use.
For five years residents have been locked out of the progress association hall, which has deteriorated to a state of being unusable.
The residents want to use the hall for community groups, such as U3A and Valentine Sustainable Neighbourhood Group.
The hall once housed Valentine Public School and was a public asset but now is classed as a private development and comes under the control of the Valentine Community Service Organisation.
The property was sold by the Valentine Progress Association trustees to the incorporated organisation in 2000.
The most recent financial records lodged with Fair Trading NSW in 2010 show the organisation listed assets of more than $157,000, which included shares in Caltex, the Commonwealth Bank, and Qantas.
Valentine resident Dorin Suciu suspects the organisation is now in possession of assets closer to $200,000.
"They have all that money sitting there doing nothing," she said.
Ms Suciu said the organisation needed to open its books and be accountable to Valentine residents.
Valentine Community Service Organisation board member Pat Noonan, who is vice-president, acting president and spokesperson, said the organisation was deciding whether to revamp the building or develop the site, which would include a community space.
Ms Noonan said the board could afford to finance the project, one stage at a time.
She hoped to have plans in place by the year's end.
