NEPEAN WARD CHRISTMAS LETTER
13 December 2017
This the first and the last of the Nepean Ward Newsletters published by the Shire for 2017.
May I start by thanking all the community groups in Nepean Ward for all their work during the year with the community and the personal assistance they have provided to the Ward councilors during the year past.
We meet regularly with the community groups on a monthly basis and weekly on Mondays afternoons at the Rosebud Council offices by appointment with councillor support to assist in dealing with and resolving community and ratepayer issues and capital works projects in the Ward.
The year past his year past has been busy year concluding a number of major projects which have been under development for a number of years. These include –
The Rosebud pool – the business cases for a 50 m and 25 m pool Council resolved to place on public exhibition. Planning for the pool has been a carefully constructed process consultative with the community in which the community have been and will continue to be extensively consulted. This is a “ground up” exercise and a radical departure from the “top down process” imposed by previous management and then ruling council majority faction which delayed the project for over a decade and at a heavy financial cost to the Shire.
The Rye Township Plan was also approved by Council last (Tuesday) night after 5 years of detailed planning – in which every movement in Rye of pedestrians, bicycles, motor traffic, buses have been mapped and analyzed, modeled and the design approved by all the government instrumentalities. Again “ground up” community consultation resulted in substantial modifications in its design and now to be staged implementation.
CCTV – after 5 years and the terrible death of David Cannai in Rye and the innovative CCTV trader rebate scheme I fathered through the Rye Beach Business Association, a permanent hard wired and microwaved CCTV to the Rosebud Police Station – is to go in on the foreshore early next year.
On the Rye foreshore – from the reconstruction of the boat ramps in the west to the playground in the east – there is over $1 m to be spent fixing up this precinct – just awaiting a decision from VCAT.
On point Nepean Road – Rye and Blairgowrie will soon be connected with this year budgeted $1.1 m footpath through the Whitecliff cutting. Stage one from Canterbury Jetty Road to Tyrone boat ramp at a cost of $600,000 has just been completed.
At Sorrento the Seawall was completed earlier this year and the Sorrento Coastal management plan is on public exhibition.
The Sorrento George street toilets and Tourist information office have been rebuilt at a cost north of $2m and “open for business”. The reconstruction of George Street and Ocean beach Road are “shovel ready” as is the extension to the Mechanics Institute awaiting Council funding.
At the Eastern Sister – the revetment – or “seawalk” as I prefer to call it – has been completed a few months at a cost of $1.5 m – our David Hampton is to be congratulated on his design and management of the project which connects up the spot where in 1803 Lt Governor Collins actually rowed ashore – on Camerons Bight – with Sullivan Bay – where the first settlement encampment was set up.
At Portsea – the Shire is contribution nearly $1m in funding over three years to rebuilding the Surf Life Saving Club. Bryan and I were there for the turning of the first sod two months ago.
At Police Point Cottage 6 awaits funding of under $200,000 to complete its renovation in this “shovel Ready” project.
At a higher policy level – two weeks ago Council approved the Housing and Settlement strategy – this is a monumental document and the front line of the Peninsula’s defence resisting Spring Street’s demands for increased housing density with its 3 story 11 m rule and VicSmart process as so called “innovations”.
Early next year a weekend retreat is planned by councilors to complete its next major strategic policy in its Green Wedge Management Plan.
Much has been achieved with Carl Cowie as our new CEO – with major structural reform in the Shire management over the last three years. And we are now seeing the tangible benefits in capital works and service delivery – a recent new green waste contract will save the Shire many millions and – unprecedented in local government – we have just terminated and changed over a major maintenance contract. Four Shire sports facilities have just been partnered in a way that will see improved services at reduced cost.
VicSmart planning and the hard stone wall government plan for the Portsea bay beach – which will not bring back the beach – remain real problems to be dealt with and which will be very demanding next year.
May I conclude by referring to some revealing but inexact statistics – In the 7 years 2008 – 2014, Council management achieved as a % of rates collected averaged pa – employee costs 51%, borrowings 36%, and capital works 25% In the three following years 2015 -2017 – employee costs fell to 46%, borrowings to 18% but capital works have remained a constant 25% – so this is a statistic we ought to see rapid medium term improvement.
I wish you all a merry Christmas and look forward to working with you all next year.