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Meeting closed down, council on notice Continued from Page 1 Raised voices could be heard during a five-minute adjournment after Cr Rebekah Spelman accused Cr Aitken in the chamber of trying to increase the scope of the audit due to “over involvement” in the Wells St revamp to include new street furniture and lighting. Cr Aitken threatened to sue Cr Spelman over the remark, subsequently withdrawn, before the bickering between councillors behind closed doors after the mayor ordered councillors to vacate the chamber. Upon their return to the council chamber the mayor said he would adjourn the meeting if it became disorderly again. Cr Suzette Tayler then said she had been called by Cr Dooley who expressed concerns about Wells St project cost blowouts. “The mayor rang me on a Sunday night and said he was very concerned about East West Wells St and he was really concerned about a $300,000 blowout and he was really concerned about a councillor,” Cr Tayler said. She accused the mayor of “gagging” her when Cr Dooley threatened to have her expelled from the chamber and suddenly ended the meeting. “I’m being transparent. It’s about transparency. I’m being transparent to the residents of Frankston and I’m only repeating what you told me, Mr Mayor,” Cr Tayler said. Cr Dooley declined to comment after the meeting last week. A statement from the mayor was issued by council on the day after the meeting (see above).
Statement from Frankston Mayor Cr James Dooley - 17 May Dear Residents, Like many in the community, I am disappointed at the behaviour demonstrated by councillors during the recent 16 May council meeting. The behaviour was neither constructive nor of value to the Frankston City community. I expect all councillors to work together respectfully and to act with the community’s best interests at the forefront of their minds.
Factory fitted: New chairs, above, and plant holders set to be installed in Wells St. Each item is rumoured to cost $14,000. Picture source: Facebook
Kind regards, Frankston City Mayor, Cr James Dooley
Cr Aitken said he would “vigorously defend” any allegations of impropriety around his involvement in the Wells St revamp that will feature wider footpaths, improved street furniture, more outdoor dining areas, better street lighting and more trees. When contacted by The Times Cr Aitken said he had visited a Seaford factory where street furniture and lighting designed by Darryl Cowie is being built before installation in Wells St on several occasions in the interests of “getting the best for Frankston”. Casting of furniture is also being undertaken at a Campbellfield factory.
Cr Aitken, an architecture aficionado, said the Wells St refurbishment’s scope widened as the project progressed. “We started off with standardised type poles, seats off the rack, ordinary paving, no planters … and bit by bit as the design evolved it went back to council 11 times over the period of a year … and council had described to them the changes taking place and council also had explained to them the budgetary implications and council voted unanimously on each occasion [to approve changes].” Cr Aitken said he had nothing to fear from any investigation by council
watchdogs such as the Local Government Inspectorate if it eventuated. “Bring it on. I would welcome a judge and a jury. I will stand before anyone and discuss the process and I will come out clean. “I never handled the money, nor did I employ contractors, nor did I direct contractors. Nor did I monitor monetary flow as the project continued. Council did as the scope widened.” The Wells St project was originally budgeted at $3.58 million but costs have increased to $4.239 million. The state government is contributing $1.79 million – half of the project’s originally anticipated $3.58 million cost - and Frankston ratepayers will now pick up the bill for the extra
$659,000 and counting cost increase. The exit of councillors from the chamber during a meeting is the second time in this four-year council term the nine have publicly clashed to such an extent that a meeting was adjourned. In January 2015 a public council meeting had to be stopped for about 10 minutes after councillors began shouting at each other across the council chambers amid “bullying” allegations (‘Councillors ‘feel bullied’’, The Times 26/1/15). Council scheduled a special public meeting on Monday 23 May to finish the latest interrupted council meeting shut down by Cr Dooley.
‘Forgotten’ club losing track Stephen Taylor steve@baysidenews.com.au MORNINGTON Little Athletics Centre is “potentially homeless” next season unless a new base can be found soon. “We and the Mornington Peninsula Athletics Club are currently actively lobbying the Mornington Peninsula Shire for the athletics track they have been saying they will build since 1999,” little athletics secretary Lisa Henry said last week. “It's now 16 years later, and the track has still not eventuated. They have earmarked $50,000 in the next budget for planning the track - possibly at the Civic Reserve, Dunns Rd - but given us no
time frame as to when this will occur.” The 44-year-old club has never had a permanent home, and was nicknamed by a former president the “gypsies of the peninsula". “We have been moved around from Dallas Brooks Park, Mornington Park, Osborne Primary School, Padua College, and our most recent home at Mace Oval,” Ms Henry said. “We have been competing for the past 12 seasons at Mace Oval in Mt Martha. It was a temporary move at the time apparently, and it seems we've been forgotten. “We've completely outgrown Mace – it only allows for a 250 metre track into which we have to cram all the field events. It is an OH and S nightmare some
days. We have no club rooms – we never have – just three shipping containers and a council-built toilet block.” In this Olympics year, the club is anticipating higher registration numbers than in previous years. “If we have to compete there again this coming season, we will be operating beyond capacity,” Ms Henry said. “Add in the damage the new Mt Martha Junior Soccer Club does to Mace over the winter, we are potentially homeless for the 2016/17 season.” She said the club “had a few options on the table in terms of locations for next season” but nothing has been finalised. “The council have not come back to us with an answer,” she said. “It is essentially being left up to us to find a
new location.” Mornington Little Athletics Centre members would be happy with a temporary home now as long as they know the shire is committed to building “the allweather track that has been promised for so long”. “The Briars ward councillors are in our corner, it’s just a matter of getting all the other councillors on board,” Ms Henry said. Parents at the club Sue Cook and Sharyn Welsh have started an action group called Where Is Our Track. They are on Facebook and have also started a change. org petition which has 687 signatures. They are aiming for 10,000 signatures. The club has also sought promisers from the Liberal and Labor candidates
for the seat of Dunkley, which includes Mornington and Frankston. Ms Henry said it was disappointing that Labor candidate Peta Murphy supported a $2.55 million grant for Frankston basketball stadium “because if they [a Labor government] put money into that there will be less for other projects”. Liberal candidate Chris Crewther “has hinted that the new track will be his priority in Mornington, but no official word has been released as yet”. Ms Henry said. Mr Crewther told The Times the track was “one of the things I will fight for”. “It’s an important project and I will advocate hard for a new track,” he said. “It’s definitely a priority of mine, but one of many.”
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