NOVEMBER 24, 2015 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
24/7 cop shop for Mernda Mernda’s new multi-million dollar police station will be built on the corner of Bridge Inn Road and Pimpinella Pass. Construction on the long-awaited station will begin next year, with a forecast completion date of mid-2017. The station will operate 24 hours a day and house uniformed officers, a family violence unit, criminal investigation unit, divisional response unit and administrative staff. Police Minister Wade Noonan and Yan Yean MP Danielle Green were at the site last Wednesday. Ms Green said: “The people of Mernda and Doreen have waited a long time for this station and I’m proud this government has listened to them.” Mernda Needs a Police Station campaign spokesman Tom Joseph said he was thrilled the state government had followed through on its election commitment to build the station in its first term. “It’s ideally located between Mernda and Doreen,” he said. “I really wanted it somewhere in this area.” Mr Joseph, who started the campaign for a police station in Mernda or Doreen almost two years ago, said last week’s state government announcement was a victory for the community. Ms Green commended Mr Joseph on his commitment to the campaign. She said a local police station would help combat increasing reports of family violence in the area. Neither Mr Noonan nor Whittlesea police’s Acting Inspector Lindsay Cook was able to comment on the exact number of uniformed police to be based at the new station.
President of Whittlesea Agricultural Society and Whittlesea Neighbourhood Watch volunteer John Kreitling said news that the future station would operate on a 24-hour basis was a coup for Whittlesea township. “It will take the load off Whittlesea police and it’s in a great position because it’s easily accessible,” he said.
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The people of Mernda and Doreen have waited a long time for this
’’
- Danielle Green
Whittlesea mayor Steven Kozmevski said one of the biggest challenges was ensuring state and federal government investment in infrastructure and services kept up with the increasing demand. Land for the new police station, a short distance from the Plenty and Bridge Inn roads roundabout, was purchased from property developer RCL Group which is now building the almost-completed Renaissance Rise development in Mernda. RCL Group also recently sold a nearby parcel of land to the state government for a future Mernda P-12 school. Group development manager Angus Ramsay said the sale of the 1.3-hectare police site should be finalised before the end of the year. “They [state government] came to us recently wanting to have a chat about suitable sites in the area,” he said. “This seemed ideal.”
(Eddie Jim / The Age)
By Alexandra Laskie
Controversial tip ablaze An abandoned Somerton tip formerly run by a company being prosecuted by Hume council was hit by fire on Friday, requiring 35 CFA and MFB vehicles to attend. Fire crews were called to the scene, off Patullos Lane, near the Hume Highway, at 2.30am on Friday. Staff from a neighbouring business, Honda, were evacuated. Hume council began legal action to force company director Gene Skliar, of Ecotec Woodwaste, to clean up the site more than 12 months ago. A large fire that broke out at the site in September last year smouldered for two weeks. The cause of last Friday’s fire was unknown when Star Weekly went to print. Alexandra Laskie