SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
Security cameras stolen By Benjamin Millar
Star Weekly Weekly,, September 9
theft of the cameras and has distanced itself from the continued vandalism campaign, which has left ratepayers footing the bill for tens of thousands of dollars of repairs. Convenor Megan Darling said the vigilantism was unfortunate but reflected the depth of community anger over the introduction of paid parking. “This is a bad decision and something nobody wanted,” she said. “We are certain this is not creating a profit; it’s just creating all this bad publicity.” Paid parking of $1.80 per hour was introduced to 97 spaces in Yarraville despite more than 3000 residents signing a petition against the meters. The machines came into effect as Hobsons Bay council began a three-month trial of free weekday parking at Nelson Place, Williamstown. Maribyrnong council says paid parking restrictions were introduced to increase parking turnover, but traders claim the move has led to a dramatic drop in business.
FREE PARKING TRIAL MONDAY – THURSDAY AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER TIME LIMITS STILL APPLY
(Joe Mastroianni)
A vigilante campaign targeting Yarraville’s parking meters has struck again with five security cameras placed to catch vandals in the act having disappeared at the weekend. The five motion-sensitive cameras installed by Maribyrnong council had operated only a few days before the theft. They failed to prevent the third major vandalism attack in at least two streets last Wednesday night. In this attack, meters in Canterbury and Ballarat streets were smashed in a dramatic repeat of a September 2 attack that crippled eight machines. The destruction caused damage costing thousands of dollars. Both attacks follow the filling of the coin and credit card slots of about a dozen of the machines with Liquid Nails construction adhesive, on the eve of them coming into operation at the end of August. No arrests have been made over the three incidents despite increased surveillance and patrols by police and council officers. Maribyrnong council chief executive Stephen Wall said the cameras were valued at about $2000. “We are working with police to determine whether they will be replaced,” Mr Wall said. A sign asking: “Who are you? Spying on us?” had earlier been stuck over one of the portable cameras, which are typically used for tracking or hunting animals. Cameras were installed after police had difficulty obtaining security footage from Yarraville traders, many of whom oppose the parking meters. The Yarraville Village Says No To Paid Parking group condemned the
Climbing the charts It’s been a good week for Williamstown country music duo The Long and Short of It. Patsy Toop and David Baird have climbed the country music charts with Fifty bucks and a case of beer, the third single off their album You made me stronger. The title track also won an award in the Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists Association international competition. Toop said the band’s current hit, which hit No.1 in Tasmania and No.5 nationally, was written by Ken Barton, a Nashville songwriter. “It’s about a busker on Broadway … who sold a song called 16th Avenue to a producer for 50 bucks and a case of beer,” she said. “It went to No.1 and all he got was the 50 bucks and a case of beer.” The duo will fly to Nashville on September 26 to record its next album. Goya Dmytryshchak
NELSON PLACE PRESENTS
LIVE AT THE ROTUNDA! Wednesday 30 September
10.30am to 11.15am ALI MCLAREN & THE MINIM BAND 11.30am to 12.30pm THE MUDCAKES School holiday musical fun at waterfront Williamstown. BYO rug/chairs.
#nelsonplace #waterfrontwilliamstown
Look out for sp ecial