Will the fireworks work?

THE issue of municipal run fireworks returned to the agenda at the Wednesday, 27 January City of Ballarat council meeting.

Following a decision to cancel the 26 January fireworks late last year and move them to another community event, it’s still unclear when or where we’ll see public pyrotechnics in Ballarat again.

While COVID restrictions mean it’s unlikely there’ll be fireworks in 2021, councilors were asked to pencil in the Begonia Festival for the display in 2022 and beyond.

Yet rather than selecting that event, council decided to continue community consultation on the issue.

Cr Tracy Hargreaves questioned whether there was enough time for added community consultation and if fireworks were even the best choice for the Begonia Festival.

“One of the complaints people had with the Australia Day fireworks is that we hadn’t consulted widely enough,” she said. “If we could question the community widely, we would have numbers and figures to refer to.

“Get a gauge on how many people want fireworks, how many people are happy to go with something else, can we explore the sound and light show?”

Ultimately, councillors voted to defer the decision and go for more consultation around the specific date and the type of entertainment.

In supporting the move Cr Amy Johnson said that it’s important to allow residents to clearly articulate exactly what they would like to see.

“There is a large portion of our community that are still very passionately supportive of the fireworks event whether that’s on January 26 or another date,” she said.

Cr Mark Harris added, “We love fireworks and will remember them but the reality is, they are far from sound… maybe there are other things we can move onto.”

 

Sporting updates all round

FOUR sporting facilities had upgrades confirmed as part of a municipal fast-track sport infrastructure program.

While the four projects were listed over two agenda items, councilors voted to allocate all tenders to local company CIQ Construction.

Two projects, Alfredton and Marty Busch reserves, are worth nearly $1.3 million, while Pleasant Street and Royal Park reserves are set at over $1.4 million.

Cr Ben Taylor he was excited to see the works begin.

“These are funds that were allocated through the council loan that was put together to bring forward the sporting infrastructure especially female friendly change rooms across the city,” he said.

“This is a great outcome to see that the work’s been done, the scoping and the tenders gone out and now we’re starting to see that the community is starting to see the benefits with construction going on in these sites.”

Cr Des Hudson seconded the motion and said that over the last ten years the City’s investment into sporting infrastructure has been significant.

“What a great time to be fit and active enough to play sport in Ballarat,” he said.

“The benefits we get with a heathier community and a more joined up community, one that is far more connected, the health benefits are absolutely significant.”

 

Fix for intersection

Council has awarded Enoch Civil the nearly $1 million contract for major roadworks on Havelock Street from Landsborough Street to Norman Street.

The project involves the reconstruction on the thoroughfare including building a new roundabout at the area’s blackspot Intersection which has seen several crashes in recent years.

Cr Coates questioned the sustainability of building roads and of the City’s wider environmental transport plan.

“I’m happy to support [the motion] but I would like to have some further follow up information down the track around those questions,” she said.

In response, director of infrastructure and environment Bridget Weatherall said the City is very supportive to environmental factors and that the public can expect some positive change on this front moving forward.

 

The survey says…

Results for the 2020 community satisfaction survey are in and they are mixed.

The process, which in mandatory for all local governments to complete, was conducted in May 2020 and due to the pandemic only asked the minimum three questions of 400 residents.

On the issue of “satisfaction with community consultation and engagement” the City of Ballarat scored 63 out of 100, up 3.5 on the previous survey.

“Satisfaction with council decisions” jumped 5.3 to 61.1, but “satisfaction with sealed local roads” were down to 55.3, a decrease of 4.2.

This year’s community satisfaction survey is set to be conducted in March.

 

Liquid waste awarded

A contract to deal with leachate at the Smythesdale Landfill site has been awarded to RTD Environmental at an projected cost of $350,000 a year for minimum three years.

As part of the deal the contractor will remove and transport the leachate, essentially liquid waste that runs off the tip cells, to an authorised disposal facility.

Normally the leachate is collected in ponds at the landfill site and left to evaporate, however in wetter years some removal of the waste will be required.

The contract includes an opportunity to extend for two more years.