Tunnels Not Trenches – (Mayor’s Colum 17 November 2018)

Tunnels Not Trenches

Council has unanimously voted to reject the State Government’s out-of-the-blue change to cuttings instead of tunnels for its planned bypass of the city.

Instead we’re going to start a campaign to do what we can to get them to reinstate the original plans and build tunnels. It’s not about looking to change the bypass corridor, which has been in place since 2004, we’re saying we want tunnels not ‘road bridges’.

Coffs Harbour deserves better and we’re going to do all we can to make sure we get the best result we can.

And while I’m on the subject of the bypass, I was really pleased to see that the RMS and the State Government have finally stepped up to the plate and are now offering the community some proper opportunities to find out more about what they’re proposing.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The State Government is opening a drop-in office at 11a Park Avenue from Monday, 19 December, where RMS staff will be available to answer questions and discuss feedback. Their display centre will be open from 10am – 4pm Monday to Thursday. They are also holding three further information displays before the concept design submission period closes on 30 November.

Jetty4Shores Project Recognised for Excellence

I was over the moon to hear that the Jetty4Shores Project won the NSW Minister for Local Government’s 2018 Award for Innovation in Local Government Engineering .

The Project was chosen for the top award by Australia’s leading municipal engineering body – the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) ) at their annual New South Wales Engineering Excellence Awards.

The IPWEA is the absolute peak public works organisation and for them to choose the Jetty4Shores Project is fantastic.

We have always been confident that the quality of the design and its construction has been second to none – and we’ve now had state-wide recognition for the works from our peers and engineering experts.

I’m extremely proud of all those involved in the project – particularly the community which worked closely with Council to achieve a result that is now the envy of many other communities throughout NSW.

Coffs Coast Carols

Save the date! This year’s Coffs Coast Carols at Brelsford Park will be on Saturday, December 15. It’s going to be another fantastic event with music, entertainment, food, fireworks and heaps of fun for all ages.