NEWS DESK
Delays to sewage station repairs SOUTH East Water has been forced to spend more money to repair a sewage leak at its Pentecost Rd, Mornington, sewage pumping station after the first attempt failed. Problems with the system were first revealed in August when contractors pumped out sewage from the station beside Tanti Creek near Nepean Highway over two nights prior to repair work. This required the partial closure of Pentecost Rd. The News understands the EPA had tested water in the creek on 10 August and ordered SEW to carry out repairs. A small amount of polluted water had entered the creek, which runs into Port Phillip at Mills Beach. The repair bill was about $100,000 but the problem was not fixed. New contractors returned to the site earlier this month and work was due to be completed last week but is ongoing. Pentecost Rd has again been partly closed, and traffic accessing Mornington's light industrial area has been using alternate routes. Last Friday, a South East Water spokesperson said "a small leak was identified and controlled at a sewer pumping station on Pentecost Rd ... on 5 October". "Our sewer experts investigated and found the repair was more complex than expected, requiring deep and difficult excavation and a replacement part, which will be available in coming days. "Once we receive the replacement
part, our works will take a number of days. Water and sewerage services for local residents are not affected. We will continue to talk with local residents in the immediate vicinity to keep them informed." A custom-made sleeve will be used to join existing pipes. It will take about a week to fabricate. SEW did not reveal the cost of the second attempt. The recent and ongoing work follows the Pentecost Sewer Renewal project, which was carried out between May 2012 and mid-2013. This involved renewing 1.7km of ageing underground sewer pipes at several locations around Pentecost, Watt, Mornington-Tyabb, Yuilles, and Dunns roads as well as Richardson Drive. The Pentecost Rd sewage pump station was "renewed" and a new odour management system installed. Mike Hast
Police cup patrol POLICE are warning drivers they will be out in force over the Melbourne Cup weekend in Operation Furlong, which runs Friday 30 October-Tuesday 3 November. “We will be using all available personnel from road policing units, uniform personnel and other regional resources,� Senior Sergeant Steve Burt said. “We will be looking at hotels and liquor outlets and generally thinking outside the square.�
Access at last: A new path down steep Wooralla Drive will link Mt Eliza township with the skate park and other sports and recreation facilities at Emil Madsen Reserve. Picture supplied
Hooray for long-awaited hill path WORK on the long-awaited shared path down the steep southern slope of Mt Eliza to Emil Madsen Reserve is set to begin next month. The nearly two-kilometre Wooralla Drive path from Tower Rd to the reserve will cost $500,000 plus an unspecified amount for a crossing of the tourist railway line at the bottom of the hill. The rail crossing is likely to add a significant amount to the project. It will be done under a different contract and must meet VicTrack requirements for a normal suburban rail line even though tourist trains only run three times a month. The path will allow walkers, bike riders and skaters to safely travel between the village and the reserve, and on to other tracks in the area.
The path was promised when the shire proposed building the skate park, which was opened in March 2012 with floodlights turned on nine months later. The project cost $430,000. The reserve is also home to three ovals for football and cricket, a pavilion, a leash-free area and playground. The path will be brown exposed aggregate concrete, and have raised timber boardwalks at various sections, a footbridge over Balcombe Creek, and the railway crossing. Briars Ward councillor and mayor Bev Colomb said the path would be completed by late March 2016. Her colleagues Anne Shaw and Andrew Dixon said it would be welcomed by the community. There's a lot on offer at the reserve,
and the pathway will enable safer passage for pedestrians. This vital piece of infrastructure finally completes the Mt Eliza skate park project, they said. "Accessing the reserve on foot has been a dangerous pursuit until now, so I'm stoked that locals and visitors alike will finally be able to get there safely without jumping in the car," Cr Dixon said. He said that Maw Civil of Dromana would build the path. "Peace of mind for parents and drivers as skaters and riders will no longer have to cruise down the 'black length' of one of the steepest and busiest roads in town." Cr Dixon praised shire officers, his council colleagues, former Mt Eliza councillor Leigh Eustace, and "all you residents and users out there – for not staying quiet, and for your patience".
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