Thursday 8 May 2014
VOL 12. No 19
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Armstrong Creek Times INSIDE TODAY
YOUR COMPLETE REAL ESTATE GUIDE
BLOWING AWAY THE COMPETITION
Grovedale’s Hayley Parker of Salon Sojourn and Ocean Grove’s Bonnie Trevean of Kalo Hair & Beauty scored three awards between them in the Gordon TAFE black and white photo shoot competition, announced last Monday night in Geelong. For more, turn to page 14. Photo: MICHAEL CHAMBERS
Budget commits funds to duplicate Pioneer Road
SQUEEZE EASED BY JAMES TAYLOR
THE duplication of a short section of Pioneer Road is being touted as one of the big wins for Waurn Ponds, Grovedale and Armstrong Creek residents in this year’s state budget. Nearly $13 million was allocated in Tuesday’s 2014-15 budget to upgrade the section, which runs past the Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre. Pioneer Road already has fully divided lanes from Colac Road to the shopping centre but narrows to an undivided road
as it crosses a bridge near Meadowvale Drive, where it is again duplicated. South Barwon MP Andrew Katos said the funding was part of significant expenditure that would help strengthen the local community. “I am proud that the Coalition government is delivering on education and transport infrastructure that will benefit South Barwon.” City of Greater Geelong mayor Darryn Lyons said he was pleased the budget’s transport investments recognised the need to manage increased traffic volumes
in the Geelong area. “In the same light, the $12.9 million allocation to duplicate Pioneer Road from Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre to Meadowvale Drive will ease pressure on an extremely busy connector road and support one of our municipality’s key residential growth areas.” He said the budget contained funding for several of the city’s priorities. “Funding for roads, rail, education and health is all very welcome – and Geelong is well served through this budget in many key areas.”
Other budget commitments to Geelong include $4.8 million to upgrade Montpellier Primary School and $5 million to improve disability access at Geelong Railway Station. G21 chief executive officer Elaine Carbines said the G21 region would benefit from more than $14 billion of allocated funding, and welcomed the $810 billion earmarked to complete stage 2 of the East-West Link in Melbourne. “The effectiveness of advocacy work on behalf of the region by G21 and others can be seen, in part, in today’s budget.
“We know that governments are more inclined to fund big projects close to an election, but these announcements have exceeded our expectations.” Meanwhile, the state opposition has continued to criticise the state government over the circumstances of how it would provide a public hospital in Waurn Ponds. Labor’s South Barwon candidate Andy Richards said the growing community “deserved better than a shrinking hospital”. “It’s a backflip, it’s a broken promise and the people of South Barwon deserve better.”
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