Community Questions, Concerns and Comments at Meetings

As this issue of The Gwydir News comes off the printing press, the initial five in a series of six Community Meetings have been undertaken by councillors and several staff of Gwydir Shire Council. The Gwydir News attended all bar the Gravesend meeting, in part to gain insights into some of the issues each community felt strongly about.

Heading to North Star on Wednesday 27 April, the first meeting was hosted at the Sporting Club. Attendance numbers were strong given the small population of ~300 and geographical distances to overcome to get to the club. As predicted, topics of interest focused on funding, safety and timelines for roadworks, and the use (or lack thereof) of the Inland Rail project. Another concerning issue raised was that of crime in the area - from fuel theft to the unauthorised entering of property.

With regards to all things Inland Rail, Alex Eddy, Gwydir Shire Council’s Engineering Services Director pointed out that there are issues having both an existing rail corridor and an existing road corridor. Problems are further exacerbated when contacts within Inland Rail are changed – very rarely do council have the opportunity to speak with the same person twice about an ongoing issue.

Roads are understandably a priority currently, both within council and the community. With a plethora of funding having been granted, there has been a disproportionate availability of assets available to fix the roads, from human resources to lime and suitable gravel aggregate. This is being rectified as expeditiously as possible. The worst affected high traffic roads are being attended to initially so that routes become safer for all motorists.

Alex pointed out that if there is an urgent safety issue such as a deep pot hole that has not been repaired, residents are urged to call council customer service for a case to be added to the Customer Request Management system. It will be treated with urgency.

Croppa Creek was the next port of call, with the meeting held at the Bowling Club. Again, the focus was primarily on Inland Rail and the road network. Several sections of the road network were identified as needing immediate attention, including the “Humpty Dumpty causeway”. In addition, residents raised the issues regarding the poor thought and execution of Inland Rail projects such as the “footpath to nowhere”. In response, Alex Eddy was able to provide assurances that both roads and rail are being addressed as best as council is able. Of further concern was the lack of childcare in the area. Mayor, Cr John Coulton encouraged those in attendance to undertake the current online survey being done by council to determine the childcare needs of families in the Gwydir Shire, found here: https://tinyurl.com/3jvdkt5e

The third round of Community Meetings was held in the Roxy Theatre, Bingara on Tuesday 2 May. In contrast to its Northern village counterparts, Bingara heralded a switch to “town mode”, as questions and discussion shifted towards buildings, the emergency services levy, storm water and speed limits on town roads.

Endearment and passion for a town monument then became the focal point of the evening, as the future of the Soldiers Memorial Hall in Bingara, which had most recently been utilised as the Gwydir Shire Council offices was raised.

General Manager, Max Eastcott detailed the damage done to the buidling due to the damp course being completely eroded. This has had a flow-on effect, with the locally produced bricks thus acting like sponges, absorbing water and allowing mould to infiltrate.

Upon realising that the only long-term solution was to replace the building, consultation for plans were sought. A draft proposal of a new layout, incorporating the Adams Garage was presented to those in attendance at the meeting.

Whilst not feasible to maintain the complete façade, it is expected that the crest and the name will be saved, embedding them into the new forecourt area.

The development application for the proferred new building has just been lodged, so the community will soon have the opportunity to give feedback, suggestions and potential opposition about its planned construction.

The Warialda Community Meeting was held Thursday 4 May at the Warialda Town Hall. Topics brought up were again heavily focused on town issues - from trucks driving through town, to the maintenance of town footpaths, to the fire break that has been cleared around the outskirts of town.

It was agreed that the Warialda Bypass has greatly reduced the number of trucks traversing through town. A small number prevail, although a portion of those will be for local deliveries.

Council have agreed to commit to a more regular cleaning of the main street footpaths, and also encouraged local businesses to undertake their own cleaning protocols of the shared spaces.

The planned green space project was discussed, covering issues such as security, access granted to recreational vehicles, and the impact on the town in general. Parallels in that instance were drawn with Bingara’s Fay Park which is utilised as a cool, communal green space.

The common thread that raised in each of the meetings was the need for locals to consider running for council at the Local Government elections in 2024. Seven of the nine councillors will be stepping down at that time, and thus a need for other individuals to nominate themselves in the vacant positions.

Council advised that current priority for roads is primarily on the Northern end of the Shire and the Upper Horton, A widespread action plan for all areas within the shire will be on the agenda next financial year, and an expenditure of $600,000 to $800,000 per week to be spent on road repair and maintenance.

The Community Meetings certainly met their brief of providing insights into the concerns and questions held by those in the relevant towns and villages. Open feedback to and from Gwydir Shire Council in forums such as these should be encouraged.