MEMBERS of the St Leonards Beautification Committee have led a group of council representatives around their town in a bid to \u201cmake it look cared for\u201d.<\/p>\n
Last week, convenor Denis O’Bryan, along with three other members, took Bellarine councillors Stephanie Asher, Jim Mason and Trent Sullivan on a tour of 12 stops that were of concern to community members.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur group inspected the town area and documented infrastructure and appearance, and then put our findings in a questionnaire to test community feeling,\u201d Mr O\u2019Bryan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were blown away by the support – 86 returns over two weeks – there was no publicity, just word of mouth via the traders, and half had extra comments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of the issues highlighted during the walk around included potholes and dirt outside the local hardware store, which needs kerb and channelling, the need for a bus shelter at the bus stop and for it to be relocated to a more central location away from the hotel, and the town\u2019s public toilets, which residents say are a disgrace and have no signage.<\/p>\n
Mr O\u2019Bryan said he wanted to leave the council representatives with three strong recommendations.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo make the town look cared for, we need to restore the care factor. We request a dedicated works crew for streets and parks \u2013 a leader and two or three helpers and a base budget of $500,000 to $1 million that expands with other projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a process for orderly big picture planning the current and future of the town. For example, council has approved a 50 per cent in house numbers but no budgeted increase in infrastructure in a town that does not cope with holiday populations. We request a dedicated officer or team.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said St Leonards\u2019 rates totalled approximately $6 million and was rising, and \u201cwe want to see $6 million in value returned\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MEMBERS of the St Leonards Beautification Committee have led a group of council representatives around their town in a bid to \u201cmake it look cared for\u201d. Last week, convenor Denis O’Bryan, along with three other members, took Bellarine councillors Stephanie Asher, Jim Mason and Trent Sullivan on a tour of 12 stops that were of […]<\/p>\n