Pools, cars, buses and aeroplanes
Sue Brooks March 5th, 2010
The latest topics of interest are creating interest and well they should. Firstly Council is faced with some very difficult dilemmas in maintaining or replacing ageing infrastructure. The Maryborough Swimming Pool is apparently a leaky, broken down shell and needs to be upgraded. To replace the 50m pool is, I am told, a cost in excess of $10m dollars. Council has allocated 4.5million dollars towards this pool upgrade. So while I think everyone would prefer, at first glance, a 50m pool to remain in Maryborough we must do our research and find the best value product for our hard earned dollars.
Council staff have provided several options for discussion but I am hopeful that we can analyse the situation objectively and decide on a sensible way forward. I would like to hear from anyone with suggestions on how best to utilise the available funds or what new methods can be used to replace the ‘old’ pool. I suggested a 25m sized pool with 2 x 50m lanes attached to allow for training etc. Pools are very, very expensive to operate so it isn’t just the construction costs we need to consider but the ongoing operational costs. I’m told that very few competitions are held in the pool each year and I don’t think retaining a 50m pool simply for 3 or 4 competitions a year is sensible. So it is on with the debate. Let’s find out all the pros and cons and make a sensible decision based on facts not emotions. And like it or not there are some facilities that residents from both Maryborough and Hervey Bay are going to have to travel to each city to use. Hervey Bay residents travel to the Brolga and I am looking forward to visiting that lovely theatre once again on Sunday to see ‘Cool Change’.
Cr Dalgleish has asked Council to consider introducing advertising on our bus shelters. The advertising income then offsets the costs of installing and maintaining the bus shelters. While I would hate to see advertising plastered over every square inch of spare space around our Fraser Coast the idea has some merit so I hope the advertising can be used in some high traffic areas like Boat Harbour Drive but not on beautiful streets like The Esplanade or in residential areas.
Airports are again in the news with Council deciding to negotiate some leases and also ensure we have a 2030 plan for aviation within the region. With much talk about the future of air travel and the ever attractive idea of a regional airport in the future I believe that this is a sensible decision and I supported it. Airports are expensive to run so obtaining an income from leases etc is an essential ingredient to offset the costs of running them. We can ensure that the airports complement each other not compete against each other.
Lastly Cr Hawes advised Council of the cost of running a Council provided car rather than retaining the use of your private car. This was after a statement made by Cr Dalgleish, at a prior Council meeting, which implied that he was saving the ratepayers money by retaining his privately owned car. Cr Hawes presented the comparable costs to Council this week which shows that reimbursing Cr Dalgleish for the maximum kilometres claimable is about $4000 more expensive to Council than providing the Councillor cars. This is why the majority of Councillors decided to take the Council provided cars.
The rain has been wonderful for us as we have full tanks and dams while not suffering any serious flooding. Have a good weekend and take care as always.
- Council related issues
- Comments(11)
Sue,
I can solve two of council’s dilemmas in one go.
Sell the Maryborough airport for subdivision, council will have a cash inflow from rates (ongoing), plus the initial purchase price.
Use the money from the sale of the airport to restore/replace the swimming pool.
What is so hard about that?
Sadman
Sadman forgets or is unaware the airport backs on to Maryborough’s waste treatment site. It is bad enough living in or visiting Aubinville when the wind is the wrong way now!
Ben,
Sadman has forgotten nothing. Airport workers and there will be more if people like you have their way, will have to put up with the smell.
But once WBW brings the system, long neglected, up to standard there will be no smell. If only the old Maryborough council had done it job properly!!
I was out at the treatment plant last week, was there for some hours and there was no smell.
Sadman
Ben,
You’re forgetting that Sadman’s plan for the airport is to develop it into low cost housing – a sort of ghetto for drug dealers, unemployed and the unemployable. So who is going to listen to THEIR complaints of smelly sewage?
Something that needs clarification Sue, is councilor Dalgleish in fact claiming the use of his private vehicle or he is rather going to write its use off on his own tax?
If in fact David is NOT claiming his car expenses from council then his statement to the effect that he is saving council money is correct.
I’m not going to comment publicly here about my fellow Councillors personal behaviour Ben. Best ask Cr Dalgleish directly as he is available, as are we all, via email etc. I do however agree with Cr Hawes information regarding our cars. I still think they must cost more than they do but we were advised that it was cheaper for Council ie the community, for us to use provided cars. The cars are due to be turned over and when this was first investigated last year apparently there were no available Honda’s in the country so we all kept the cars. I don’t drive a Honda but drive a Prius so expect that this will be turned over this year along with the other cars. Don’t forget that Council does not pay the same price for a car that you or I would pay for it. Cheers, Sue
In response to Ms Brooks assertion that the 50m pool is only used for 3-4 competitions per year, let me remind her that the training for the competitions takes place twice a day 6 days per week. Our swimmers are involved in carnivals from Brisbane to Bundaberg and all points in between. Use of the Brolga can hardly be compared to that – residents from Hervey Bay are not required to visit the Brolga twice per day 6 times per week! To even use the analogy simply shows the superficial level of reasoning that has gone into making this crazy proposal.
I wonder where Sue gets her figure of $10 m to replace the existing pool from? And if it is so impossibly expensive to replace and maintain a 50 m pool, how come small communities like Murgon can manage it? I think the fact that council has not thought this through, and clearly not budgetted to retain our infrastructure smacks of mismanagement.
I wonder how she’d feel if the proposal was to move all the libraries in the region to Hervey Bay? After all, only people who read use a library – why have one in Maryborough, and one in Hervey Bay? Isn’t this duplication of resources?
Sue, Do you know if the old Maryborough Council ever put money aside to replace the 50m pool?
It is my knowledge from what I have read and been told post amalgamation, that the MCC had no funds put aside or forward budgetted to upgrade the Maryborough Pool. This is very frustrating but is the reality so we have to simply cope and move forward.
I have been given information about how the Maryborough Swimming Pool is used provided to me by Council staff. I believe they have provided much factual information to Councillors as background. As always I won’t make a decision on the future of the pool without weighing up all the facts that I can find. At the end of the day we must make as sensible decision as possible.
Feel free to forward info especially any knowledge on how best to upgrade a broken and old 50m pool shell! Costings are an important facet of this discussion.
Margaret I am listening to the many people who care about and use the Maryborough Pool. The more I listen the more I learn. I agree that the previous Council should have budgetted and upgraded the pool many years ago but that doesn’t solve the current problem. Let’s try to find a solution to this issue and make a sensible decision based on facts and realities. I already understand that if Maryborough users trained in the Hervey Bay Pool that would possibly impact on the capacity of that pool. There is much to learn so I welcome objective suggestions.
Margaret,
Has Murgon in fact replaced their pool?
Does Murgon have another 50M pool only 30 minutes away?
Like people going to the Brolga, people going to the pool is their decision, no one makes them go.
As to Libraries, are you suggesting we close one down Margaret?
Finaly, if council is prepared to put in around $5million as has been suggested. Rather than put the region into further debt, what is wrong with a swimming pool levy on Maryborough ratpayers, to make up the difference? After all, self help is good for the soul.
Sadman
What other stuff ups of the old Maryborough Council is the region going to have to pay for now? If they didnt budget to replace an obviously ageing pool, I doubt they put money aside for the ageing water pipes under the ground and out of sight. I think Tiaro, Hervey Bay and Woocoo have been handed a basket case.