YAMBA SIGNS UP TO SAVE COMMUNITY CENTRE

By TIM HOWARD

Yamba residents have put more than 500 signatures on a petition begging the Clarence Valley Council to follow their Plan B and save the Treelands Drive Community Centre in its current form.

The controversial centre, built in 1999, has been a target of criticism almost from the time it opened and when the council obtained a $11.1 million Bushfire Local Economic Recovery grant approval was given to demolish rebuild the centre.

The plans for the new centre in West Yamba included a library and a commercial kitchen and would provide refuge for residents during emergencies.

But the funding strategy, which included the sale of the popular Wooli St Hall in Central Yamba, almost immediately rang warning bells for residents.

The situation became more fraught in September last year, when potential infrastructure failure at the Grafton Olympic Pool complex led to its permanent closure and realigned the council’s spending priorities.

With the approval of both the Yamba and Grafton communities the council sought to have the BLER funding become the centrepiece of the funding strategy for stage 1 of a Grafton Aquatic Centre. Council said it would continue with the Treeland Drive Community Centre project, but would renovate the centre and improve the existing library, a proposal labelled Option B, which lower the cost from more than $15 million to $8 million.

But this came to nothing last month when the NSW Government department controlling the grant revealed it would not allow the transfer.

In a flurry of events that followed the council announced it would continue with the pool project, but would need to borrow more money.

Mayor Ian Tiley said Option B for the Treelands Drive Centre was suddenly at risk, with the original proposal, known as Option A, back on the table.

Cr Tiley said it was essential the council not let the grant lapse, even if it meant returning to Option A, which councillors had rejected at a meeting last year.

Dismayed at a series of council decisions which some resident believed adversely affected the region Yamba residents in September formed the Yamba Community Action Network to give residents a voice to council and other planning instruments.

The group has questioned the way the council has proceeded with the Treelands Drive proposal from the outset.

It has questioned the adequacy of community consultation, anomalies in the plan, including a drastic reduction in the size of the kitchen facilities as well as the notion it the site could be used a an emergency centre in a flood, because the site is flood prone.

The council has flagged the community centre and the aquatic centre projects would be items the its first meeting of the year on February 28.

Convinced Yamba residents were not happy with the plan to build a “Taj Mahal” on the Treelands Dr site, they began collection signatures on a petition on paper and online.

YambaCAN also called a public meeting in the Wooli St Hall last Tuesday. Due to deadline the outcome of this meeting is not available.

But the group’s secretary, Lynne Cairns, said more signatures were being collected and expected have many more than the 500 presented to the council so far.

“We think the council needs to look carefully at this,” she said. “When they finished their community consultation, Option A had 196 people supporting and Option B 105 from memory.

“The support for the petition would suggest the community support for the second option has grown significantly since then.”

Grisly Find In Chinderah Caravan Park

Police Dog Rescue Of Concern

$2.1 MILLION FOR RICHMOND VALLEY ROAD FIX UNDER NSW NATIONALS LOCAL ROADS PROGRAM

The bodies of two men were found in separate caravans in a Chinderah caravan park last Thursday morning, February 16, 2023.

Emergency Services were called to the Ski Lodge Caravan Park on Chinderah Bay Drive, Chinderah, around 12.30am, following reports a male person was unresponsive.

On arrival, offcers attached to Tweed/ Bryon Police District located a body inside a caravan, before locating another body inside a neighbouring caravan a short time later.

The bodies were yet to be formally identifed at the time of going to print but police believe both are men aged in their 50s and 60s.

A crime scene was established, and an investigation has commenced into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Through a statement, NSW Police Media said inquiries are ongoing and no further information is available at this time.

The owner of a dog found locked in a hot car in Byron Bay on the weekend could face animal cruelty charges over the potentially deadly incident.

‘Mojo’ the brown and tan kelpie was clearly happy to be rescued from a hot car in Suffolk by police on Saturday February 18, with temperatures soaring into the 30+ degrees range in the afternoon.

The anxious dog was given a big drink and re-united with its owner after Police spoke to the owner at length.

Tweed-Byron

Police District say the owner remains under investigation in relation to an offence of “Commit act of cruelty upon an animal” that is punishable by a $1000 fne.

Tweed-Byron Police District will liaise with RSPCA NSW about ensuring Mojo’s welfare and future.

“We thank the Suffolk Park and wider community for their concern about Mojo,” Tweed-Byron Police said in a statement.

“Please don’t leave pets or young children unattended in your car,” police stressed.

Richmond Valley residents are set for safer, bump-free driving with $2.1 million locked in to upgrade the Coraki-Ellangowan Road, local Nationals election candidate Richie Williamson announced on Wednesday in the company of Richmond Valley Mayor Robert Mustow and NSW Nationals Regional Roads Minister Sam Farraway.

“As a former Mayor of Clarence Valley Council, I know well just how important Government support for improving local roads is. It is just way too big a burden to fund through Council rates especially in regional areas like the Richmond and Clarence Valleys,’ Mr Williamson said.

“The exact amount for this project from The Nationals’ in NSW Government’s $500 million Fixing Local Roads program is $2,100,001 – nobody knows what the extra dollar is for but I’ll take every cent I can get for the Richmond and Clarence Valleys.”

Richmond Valley Mayor