Message from the Mayor: 2 August 2024
Published on 02 August 2024
Hello, I'm John Connors, the Mayor of the Dungog Shire, bringing you this week’s Mayoral message.
This week was Local Government Week, and as part of Local Government Week, Council had available for collection tube stock of native trees. The collection in Dungog was a resounding success with all the trees disappearing by early on the second day. I'm told there may still be some trees available at the Riverdene Nursery at East Gresford. So if anybody missed out and would like up to three tube stock per household, go along to the Riverdene Nursery at East Gresford, and there may be some tube stock still available to be given away.
Also during the week, we received confirmation of a grant of $850,000 under the Federal Government Black Spot Funding Program. This funding is to construct a roundabout adjacent to Coronation Park, at the intersection of Mackay and Abelard Streets in Dungog.
It’s an intersection that has heavy traffic and the playground at Coronation Park. It has been the subject of numerous accidents in the past and that's what's enabled us to get the Black Spot funding. Work won't commence unfortunately for a little while due to other work commitments, but in due course, a roundabout will be constructed very similar to the one that's at the intersection of Dowling and Mary Streets in Dungog. So that's something to look forward to, to create a safer intersection in the future.
The Clarence Town Structure Plan meetings are coming up and they're to be held on the 13th of August. There are two sessions from 1-3pm and 5-7pm. The sessions are being held at the Clarence Town School of Arts and the purpose of these sessions is for the community to have input into the creation of the Structure Plan and the Streetscape Master Plan. Councillors have already been briefed and have had an opportunity to have input and will have further opportunities in the future.
These two community consultation sessions are for you, the community, to have your input as to what you see as the future development of the greater Clarence Town area. So I encourage all those with an interest to come along, express your views, because that's what the consultants want is your input into what you think the future should look like.
During the last two weeks, I've been conducting ‘Meet the Mayor’ sessions throughout the Shire. During the course of those meetings, some numerous issues have been raised with me. But one particularly relevant issue was raised at Paterson where works are continuing on the road through Tucker Park and up into Queen Street. I was asked what the plan is to continue the works in Queen Street and then ultimately to do works in King Street.
The plan, as I'm told, is to continue the works in Queen Street now, almost to the top, and then to do the works in King Street in the 25/26 financial year. So the bad news is those in King Street, which is in serious need of repair, will have to wait another 12 months unfortunately, but in Queen Street the current works will continue to go up to the top of the street.
The roadworks in general are continuing, and as I've mentioned, the works in Tucker Park and into Queen Street are continuing, work in Durham Rd at East Gresford to Gresford is ongoing. At Stroud Hill Road there's traffic control in place, so expect delays there while the works continue.
Work is being carried out on Clements Road at Gresford to the Clements bridge and those works are continuing, again there may well be delays.
Allyn River Road, works are continuing there and there will be delays due to the narrow nature of the road that necessitates a complete stop of the traffic when some works are being carried out. So there will be delays during the week while those works are going on.
The coming week sees an Extraordinary meeting of Council next Wednesday night and the dominant purpose of that meeting is to consider tenders for the construction of the last three sections of Clarence Town Road to be rehabilitated.
There's a need to have an extraordinary meeting because the normal meeting of council falls into the caretaker period prior to the election. So at the meeting on Wednesday, the dominant purpose is to consider the tenders and hopefully grant a contract to a contractor, or contractors, for the completion of Clarence Town Road. This will be a great achievement to have the whole road from Dungog to the end of the Shire where it joins Port Stephens beyond Clarence Town to be rehabilitated. That's the result of a $20 million Federal and State Government grant from many years ago, which was lost with changes of government, and then revitalised. We pursued it and were able to have it resurrected, so where then able to continue with that work. It's just one of the bits of work that has come as a result of Council’s advocacy over recent years.
I have one final item before I close. This week Council has put up on its web page a link to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Council is a supporter of that initiative which is being run by a small group within the Dungog Shire.
Its aim is to provide reading materials, a book a month, to children from birth to age five. Registrations must be made in the first 12 months of the child's life. So you can now go onto Council's website and complete the registration forms. So I encourage any eligible parents to make use of that facility that's now available.
So with that, that's it from me for this week. So until next week, good luck and goodbye.