Wednesday, 13 February, 2019
Pakenham
/PakenhamBerwickGazette
pakenham.starcommunity.com.au
Town’s anger at appalling state of roads
Labertouche remembers black day
Famous sporting house up for auction
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Gembrook MP Brad Battin, Ian Wake, Terry Williams and Grant Austen at Rotary Park. 190150
Rotary dunny spat One of Pakenham’s leading community groups is embroiled in a dunny funding spat with Cardinia Shire, straining a pivotal relationship between the two organisations. The Pakenham Rotary Club has fought for eight years to have a humble toilet installed at Rotary Park - beside the Princes Highway but the group says council is yet to deliver the goods. To date, council has offered to only provide about $24,000 for sewerage connections, leaving Rotary to shell out more than $280,000 for the actual toilet. The community group, which relies on do-
nations, fundraising and volunteers’ efforts to survive, cannot afford to meet the quote. Ian Wake, Chairman of Community Services at Rotary, claimed a number of councillors had given false promises to fund and install the toilets. “The council just aren’t helping out enough,” he said. “We need this facility now, not tomorrow or not next year. “It seems we just have to put more and more pressure on council to get this facility put in.” Grant Austen, secretary of Pakenham Rotary, echoed Mr Wake’s concerns. “It annoys us, but it drives us to work harder, to try to achieve,” he said.
“Rotary wants to do things for the community - all the authorities want to do is put up a road block in front of us. “It becomes quite trying to have a seamless relationship (with council) when they keep putting up roadblocks all the time.” Rotary Park is used by hundreds of joggers, families, dog walkers and cyclists every week. However, it still has no public toilet facilities. Participants in the weekly Pakenham Parkrun have reportedly become frustrated by the lack of toilet facilities. According to the Parkrun website, the closest toilets are located beside Coles Village in Lakeside.
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Gembrook MP Brad Battin has sided with Pakenham Rotary in the stoush with council. “The park is used, we know it is used a lot, and council should be working with the Rotary club to get the best outcome,” he said. “It shouldn’t be up to volunteers to raise a couple of hundred thousand dollars for council infrastructure.” Despite the financial setback, Rotary has been motivated to upgrade the aptly named Rotary Park. Last year, they planted 1500 trees alongside the Lakeside Residents Group and local schools - all funded from their own pockets. Cardinia Shire has been contacted for comment.
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