New Sports Facility On the Way for Medowie

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

Construction of a new Sport and Community Facility in Medowie has kicked off today.

Joined this morning by members of community groups and fellow council staff, Port Stephens Mayor Ryan Palmer turned the first sod at the site of the $6.5 million dollar project.

The long-awaited project won't just be for sporting groups, with meeting spaces for community groups and an event room set to be part of the completed complex.

"The Medowie Sport and Community Facility will be a facility where the community can come together," Councillor Palmer said.

"It'll have sporting facilities, playgrounds, a bar and bistro, and it'll be an area that sports clubs can utilise as well as community groups such as the RSL."

The facility will look out over Ferodale Oval and will serve as a community evacuation and recovery centre during times of emergency.

"The infrastructure hasn't kept up with the growing community, so we're really excited to start this project,"

"We've seen a huge amount of growth in Medowie over the last few years, so we've been able to leverage developer contributions to get this club off the ground."

Construction of the facility is expected to be complete within 12 months.

An artist's impression of the new facility. Image: Port Stephens Council

Salamander Bay land sale put on backburner

BY JARROD MELMETH

Port Stephens Mayor Ryan Palmer has formally withdrawn a notice of motion which sought to sell a parcel of land at 109 Foreshore drive, Salamander Bay.

The decision follows significant community interest where a survey on the plan received 172 responses against and 94 in support. Council also received a 366-signature from the Mambo-Wanda Wetlands Conservation group as well as 226 copies of a pro forma letter.

Mayor Palmer put forward the notice of motion at a council meeting last month to sell the parcel of land with proceeds of the sale going towards upgrading the Tomaree Sporting Complex.

In a submission to council Tomaree Residents and Ratepayers Association raised concerns due to the land currently used as a koala corridor from the adjacent Mambo Wetlands as well as being used as a recreational space. The association also believes proceeds from the lands sale "would not contribute a viable amount towards the Tomaree Sporting Complex."

East Ward Councillor John Nell who also put forward a notice of motion to reclassify the land from operational to community still holds concerns for the future of the site.

"The Mayor could raise this issue of the sale again at some point in the future. That is why I'm standing by my notice of motion to reclassify the land as it would inadvertently lock the site up for good.

"I think the community has spoken quite clearly. They do not want the council to sell anymore waterfront land," Cr Nell said.

109 Foreshore Drive highlighted in white.

Port Stephens Council To Consider Buying And Installing Defibrilators For Sports Facilities

BY IAN CROUCH

Port Stephens council is considering the installation of defibrillators at sports venues across the shire.

It comes after a man suffered a heart attack during a cricket match at Raymond Terrace last weekend, with his team-mates having to find a defibrillator from the nearby Lakeside Leisure Centre.

Council will consider asking sporting groups to go halves in the cost of providing the life-saving machines at it's next meeting on February 27.

West ward Councillor, Giacomo Arnott will put forward a notice of motion on the issue and says 12 sites have been identified across the Port Stephens area which would provide maximum coverage for as many sports and clubs as possible.

"This is a no-brainer. Council will be asked to work on a 50/50 split with each ward's sports council to facilitate the funding and installation of defibrillators at sports complexes," he said.
  

Port Stephens Council To Consider Buying And Installing Defibrillators At Local Sports Facilities

Mambo Wetlands DA Withdrawn

BY IAN CROUCH and LAUREN FREEMANTLE

Port Stephens residents fighting a proposed development on a former school site in the Mambo Wetlands have been given some welcome news.

The developer behind a proposal to build a duplex on the site has decided to withdraw his development application.

It clears the way for a more permanent solution for the site, which could now be compulsorily acquired by council.

The state government has previously acknowledged the sale of the land in the first place was a mistake.

Councillor Jamie Abbott has announced she will move a motion at the next council meeting in December to acquire the site as a reserve, with the state government to foot the bill.

"I want the site returned to public ownership and included within a new consolidated Mambo Reserve to be protected and managed by Council," she says.

"To achieve this, I've put forward a motion at the next Council meeting so that we can recognise the high biodiversity value of the Wetlands, and the community's aspiration to see all underdeveloped blocks protected under a consolidated reserve," she continues.

"I want Council to negotiate the acquisition of the land (being the NSW Department of Education school site within the Mambo Wetlands).

"I want to see an updated management plan be prepared in consultation with the community, and I want to see funding sought from the state government to ensure local ratepayers are not required to pay back the public land within the Mambo Wetlands site.

"Our community has been thrown into turmoil and distress by the DA which many believed threatened the viability of the entire Wetlands. That's why I want a permanent solution- so residents are not forced to battle this issue again and again."

She says the community, in particular the local Aboriginal community, highly values the Wetlands, which also provides invaluable habitat for local koalas.
 

Port Stephens Councillor Jamie Abbott

Fresh Push To Save Mambo Wetlands

BY IAN CROUCH

It's hoped a vital Koala habitat and important ecosystem at Port Stephens can be saved from development.

A six hectare parcel of so-called "surplus land" which includes a part of the wetlands was sold by the Department of Education last year to developer, Paul Unicomb.

He lodged a development application with Port Stephens Council in September for a duplex on the site.

The sale has angered residents who held a mass rally at the site last month, attended by about 200 locals who called for Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald to be sacked for his failure to intervene to stop the sale. He later admitted it was a mistake.

The Greens are calling for a compulsory acquisition of the land by the state government, while state Labor has promised to buy back the land if it wins government, which could potentially give a massive financial windfall to the developer.

Duty MLC for Port Stephens, Catherine Cusack says both sides of politics and state bureaucrats have dropped the ball in allowing the sale to proceed in the first place, with petitions taken up which were never tabled in parliament and information about the high conservation value of the site never communicated to the Department of Environment.

She's also refuted claims that the land is for sale and the government has knocked it back.

Catherine Cusack says high-level talks are under way at a bureaucratic level to find a way to restore the land to public ownership, but this could take some time to achieve.

"I know this is frustrating for people but I'm certainly prepared to be patient and (I'm) absolutely focused on doing everything I can to protect these (wetlands) and ultimately restore it to a consolidated public reserve, protected in perpetuity," she said.

Overhead View Showing Portion Of Mambo Wetlands Sold To A Private Developer Picture trra.com.au

Residents Attend At Protest Rally In October Picture: Port Stephens Examiner

Cabbage Tree Road Upgrade Completed Ahead Of Schedule

BY IAN CROUCH

Christmas has a come early for Port Stephens motorists, with work on the long-overdue rebuild of Cabbage Tree Road at Williamtown completed 3 weeks ahead of schedule.

Work on the 1.3km section of road started in early October and wasn't due for completion until December, forcing westbound motorists to take a 25 kilometre detour just to access their properties.

However, mostly fine weather has allowed staff from Port Stephens Council and the RMS to complete the $1.35 million project in record time.

Port Stephens Duty MLC, Catherine Cusack says the upgrade was desperately needed after years of patch-up work.

"Cabbage Tree Road has not been well constructed in the first place and as a result, it's had little collapses along the way that have required ongoing rectification. It's been an ongoing nightmare, so what was decided was to rectify all the problems with the road base," she said.

Port Stephens Duty MLC, Catherine Cusack

X-Ray Services Announced for Tomaree Community Hospital

BY SARAH BARONOWSKI

X-ray services are finally coming to Tomaree Community Hospital after years of community campaigning.

Local politicians gathered to make the announcement this morning, thanking the community for their dedication to the issue.

Liberal Duty MLC for Port Stephens, Catherine Cusack says the new services should be up and running by next year.

"It will take around 8 weeks for that physical work to take place and then a power upgrade will be required in order to operate the machinery in there so fingers crossed, everything going according to schedule, the new x-ray services will be delivered from February of next year."

This will be a big relief for locals who currently have to travel hours to the John Hunter Hospital just to get a simple x-ray. 

From left: Port Stephens Councillor Jaimie Abbott, Glen Dunkley,
John Nell and the Honourary Catherine Cusack

"Around 700 people hopefully won't have to make that 2-hour return trip to John Hunter anymore. Their x rays will be able to be taken here locally, the images can be assessed locally and if it's beyond the expertise of those doctors, they will be able to be transmitted instantly to other doctors," said Catherine Cusack. 

Among those in attendance at the announcement were Port Stephens councillors Jaimie Abbott, Glen Dunkley and John Nell, as well as Port Stephens MP Kate Washington.

She says it's great to see these services coming to Tomaree and it's something which will benefit countless residents and visitors in the area.  

"This is going to be a service that people from Medowie and further down towards Newcastle are going to be accessing alongside so many visitors that come to our peninsula. It's not only just a cost saving, this is about ensuring people get timely advice about their medical needs when they need it, where they need it." 

Councillor, John Nell says he personally wants to see x-ray services up and running as soon as possible, given the number of injuries which tend to occur over the summer time. 

"The service is really needed because there are lots of people particularly playing sport and in sport, you get all sorts of silly accidents and having an immediate x-ray is very beneficial. Over the summer time and Easter... young kinds being young kids, they run around and then all of a sudden, things happen so it's great to have this service," he said. 

 

Merger Talks Between Dungog And Port Stephens Councils On Again

BY IAN CROUCH

A merger between Dungog and Port Stephens Councils could be back on the cards.

Councillors on the new Dungog Council have voted unanimously to approach Port Stephens with a view to a voluntary amalgamation.

A poll taken during the recent council elections showed just over 55 percent of Dungog residents were in favour of the move.

However, the new mayor of Port Stephens, Ryan Palmer stood for election on a firm no-merger position, but it's understood he's open to looking at ways the two councils can work together without a formal merger.

Port Stephens Mayor Ryan Palmer

Dungog Mayor Tracy Norman Picture: dungogchronicle.com.au

Post Stephens Council in running for Local Government Excellence award

BY MICHAEL COOK

Port Stephens Council is a finalist in the category of Innovation in Planning, Policies and Decision Making in the 2017 Local Government Excellence in the Environment Awards.

The nomination for the award is recognition for Council's recently developed Environmental Management Scheme which helps staff perform their day-to-day work in an environmentally sustainable way.

Council's Natural Resources Coordinator, Les Sneddon said the recognition is exciting for the future of the community.

"The award ultimately recognises our approach to continual  improvement in environmental management.

"That's really exciting for the community it's what they tell us they really want to see," Mr Sneddon said.

The winner of the award will be announced in Sydney on Wednesday night.

Council Defends Closure of Cabbage Tree Road

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Port Stephens Council say the diversions they've put in place while Cabbage Tree Road in Williamtown is closed is the best option.

Diversions are being put in place while $1.35 million worth of essential maintenance is carried out by council on behalf of the Roads and Maritime Services to improve both the safety and longevity of the road.

Cabbage Tree Road will be completely closed from now until December, Monday to Saturday, between 7am and 5pm. Council say a full road closure with diversions rather than using a stop/go method of diverting traffic was the best option.

Capital Works Section Manager Phil Miles said when they've used the contraflow method of diverting traffic before it caused even more traffic problems.

"The first stage between Masonite Road and the current works was undertaken using contraflow which is the stop/slow traffic gets to go in both directions and the experience from that was nobody won, it was significant traffic delays for commuters and businesses going in both directions."

The detours will add up to half an hour of travel time for westbound motorists via either Richardson Road towards Raymond Terrace or Nelson Bay Road towards Newcastle.

"For those travelling from Nelson Bay all the way through to Sydney very minimal delays. For those coming from the Hunter to the airport and then heading home, again there's a relatively minimal detour. The local residents are clearly going to be the most affected as they always are with roadworks."

One Mile's New Surf Life Saving Facility Officially Open

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The brand new One Mile Beach Lifeguard facility has opened in Port Stephens today.

The $840,000 dollar building is a massive improvement on the last facility and now features new storage for surf life-saving equipment, a first aid room and an elevated shark observation tower.

Community and Recreation Coordinator Brock Lamont says the council has worked with the local surf lifeguards to ensure the building meets their needs.

The new facility at One Mile Beach. Image supplied.

"It's a massive upgrade from the previous building that our lifeguards were operating from. There was a small facility there that was quite dated - it was a timber structure that had been there for quite some time so the guys were very happy to see the back of that building."

The shark observation tower is a particularly good part of the upgrade giving lifeguards better oversight of the beach and they'll be able to respond faster to shark sightings.

"One Mile is one of our more popular beaches and with the caravan park nearby we get quite a lot of people just dropping in to use the beach there so in terms of giving them a better facility to make sure that everyone is using the beaches is far safer," said Brock Lamont.

The facility will be open every day and operate between 9am and 5pm and 9am to 6pm during school holidays.

Port Stephens Lifeguard Supervisor Phil Rock really only has one message to beachgoers.

"As always, we're keeping the message simple - always swim at a patrolled location, always stay between the red and yellow flags, and never swim alone."

Williamtown Residents Prepare For More Pain.

BY IAN CROUCH

Just when residents of Cabbage Tree Road at Williamtown were coming to grips with the RAAF Base contamination crisis and a cancer cluster, they're about to burdened with a couple of months of inconvenience.

They're discovered road work is about to start, which will see the westbound lane of the road closed from October 9 until early December.

It means some residents will be forced to take a 30 minute detour just to access their homes.

Member for Port Stephens Kate Washington says this is simply unacceptable, and does not understand why temporary traffic lights could not be used instead.

"I just don't understand why this is going to be a complete block-off of the westbound traffic, so that the families going to and from work, taking their kids to school, they're going to have a significant detour," she said.

Maitland Mayor's Job Still Too Close To Call

BY IAN CROUCH

Nuatali Nelmes has been re-elected Lord Mayor of Newcastle following the local government elections at the weekend.

She polled 42 per cent of the vote, double the result of Independent candidate, Kath Elliot.

Labor claimed Six seats - the Independents 4, while the Greens and the Liberals look set to claim one each.

Elsewhere, the race for the Mayor's job at Maitland is still too close to call, although Labor's Loretta  Baker looks set to become the city's first ever female mayor.

However, the final results will go down to preferences, with just a thousand votes separating Loretta Baker and Philip Penfold.

Meanwhile, Ryan Palmer has been elected mayor of Port Stephens and will take the reigns from Bruce MacKenzie.

Labor's Loretta Baker

Port Stephens Council Meeting Ends In Farce

BY IAN CROUCH

Last night's final meeting of Port Stephens Council before the September elections has ended only minutes after it started with two councillors storming out in disgust.

Councillors were handed a massive agenda of more than 900 pages to deal with before council goes into caretaker mode.

Councillors Geoff Dingle and Peter Kafer stormed out just 5 minutes into the meeting after a motion to deal with only essential items was defeated.

Geoff Dingle said the agenda was more than twice the size of any other council paper he had seen, leaving a lack of opportunity for consideration of decisions made.

With three other councillors absent, the meeting lacked a quorum and had to be abandoned.

However, Mayor Bruce MacKenzie believes there will be enough councillors available to reconvene the abandoned meeting next week.

Port Stephens Mayor Bruce MacKenzie

Port Stephens Labor want live streaming of council back

BY JAMES WARD

Port Stephens Labor candidates have vowed to reinstate live streaming of Council meetings should they be elected.

The candidates see live streaming as a logical approach to creating greater accountability and transparency for councillors.

The live streaming of Port Stephens Council meetings started in March 2012 but ceased in December 2012.

Mayoral and Central Ward candidate Des Maslen says the benefits of the live streaming would be great for the community.

"Our policy is to put the live streaming back in place and have the live streaming there for everyone to view in particular if there is an issue for their area, they can see how the voting goes and the reasons why some projects get over the line and some don't, " Maslen said.

"Also means for accountability and transparency wise there is no grey area, there is no he said, she said, everyone knows who's voting what and will take all misconception out of council meetings."

If Labor were to be elected the viewing of council meetings would be easily accessible.

"Live streaming will have a link on the council website, they can view that at their leisure when there is an event."

Souce: S3Bubble

Party Politics has no place in Port Stephens: Cr Ken Jordan

BY JAMES WARD and JESSICA ROUSE

The Labor Party has been slammed for the announcement of their intention to bring party politics to the floor of Port Stephens Council.

Councillor Ken Jordan, a former Liberal candidate for Port Stephens, believes party politics has no place in local government because whether they're Labor, Liberal or Greens they'd only answer to their political superiors.

Over the weekend nine people were selected by local Labor Party members to contest the 2017 Port Stephens Council election including Desmond Maslen for mayor.

Cr Ken Jordan claims the Labor Party doesn't have the betterment of the community at heart and believes they will only have negative impacts on the community.

"The negative impacts are having people that are not there for the people, they're there for the party - they don't answer to the community, they don't answer to people, they're not there for the people, they answer to what the party tells them to do."

He adds if Port Stephens is to maintain its image as one of the best councils in the state, party politics can't come to pass within the council.

"Local government is grassroots, it's about the people and you know the parties in there, you wan't people to answer to the community. Port Stephens Council is one of the best councils in the state on just about every measurement you can measure, why do you want to ruin it?" said Cr Ken Jordan.

Professor of Politics at the University of Newcastle Jim Jose says there is merit in the argument that when you're a member of a political party you follow the political ideology.

"There's some merit in that argument that when you're a member of a political party and there is a party platform on a given issue then given that issue comes up in council and is up for debate there is a significant amount of pressure from the particular party to ensure that as a member for that party you tow that line."

"However there have been occasions when members of parties have stood up and basically followed the issues to do with their local constituency and sometimes they pay the penalty for this and sometimes they're applauded," said Professor Jim Jose.

Upper Hunter MP calling to sack Dungog Council

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Despite $15 million confirmed to be on the table, Dungog Council knocked back a rescission motion to voluntarily merge with Port Stephens overnight.

In front of a packed gallery, Dungog councillors voted 4-3 to stand alone instead of choosing to voluntarily merge with Port Stephens Council and essentially waved goodbye to significant money from the NSW Government.

Councillor Tracy Norman was the surprising vote last night who two weeks ago supported the push for a merger, but last night said she didn't support the rescission motion that sought to overturn the council vote from a fortnight ago.

"What stone motherless broke council knocks back $15 million dollars for the benefit of their ratepayers? I don't get it. There's been more than enough community consultation. This whole process has been going on since October 2011," said Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen.

After the council knocked back the motion, Michael Johnsen is gobsmacked and is now calling on his own government to step in and sack Dungog Council and appoint an administrator.

"Council has recognised publicly and privately for many many years it is unviable short, medium and long term yet it is incapable of doing anything about it. So if that was a business you would expect an administrator to be put in place," said Michael Johnsen.

The Upper Hunter MP can't believe an essentially broke council voted against the opportunity for funds which would fix an immense backlog of work including capital works and Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald is of the same mind but urges council not to be too hot headed.

"I would strongly urge council to listen to their community, look at what's on the table from the NSW Government, think about their capital works, put aside the politics and think about what's best," said Scot MacDonald.

Michael Johnsen says not only is money an issue, staff are fed up and ratepayers are stuck with an incapable council.

"They are losing very good staff, the morale amongst the staff is just dreadful at the moment. The community have had enough, they just want the council to get on and make a decision and go with it and council just can't seem to do that for whatever reason so if they're not capable of doing it then perhaps we should step in and assist the community regardless of the council."

NSW Government accused of misleading Dungog Councillors

BY JARROD MELMETH

Ahead of the second Dungog merger meeting tonight, the New South Wales Government have been accused of misleading Councillors about the availability of funding should a voluntary merger with Port Stephens be agreed.

The Deputy Premier has reportedly told Dungog Councillors that he will advocate within Cabinet for the funding.

However, a written answer to the Shadow Minister for Local Government has advised that the funding is not available to councils that did not merge as part of the "Fit for the Future" process, and that the allocated funding has now been returned to Treasury.

Shadow Minister for the Hunter Kate Washington said Councillors are being made to make a decision void of information.

"The State Government has not provided information that they need in order to make a responsible decision and I do not see the rush in getting this through tonight.

"I do not envy the position that the Dungog Councillors have been placed in. They have been starved of resources by the State Government. It has left them vulnerable to predators and they are now in a situation where they are trying to determine what is really in the best interest of their community," Ms Washington said.

Ms Washington also alluded to the fact that if Dungog and Port Stephens did merge, $15 million in State Government funding would not put a dent in Dungogs' $40 million infrastructure backlog.

Dungog Councillors recently voted against merging with Port Stephens in a 5-4 vote. However, the issue will come back to Council on tonight after the resignation of the Deputy Mayor Tony Mackenzie.

The resignation of Mr McKenzie who voted against the motion to merge, leaves open the possibility of a 4-4 vote at tonight's meeting, which in the event of a tied vote amongst councillors, the ruling will be given to Mayor Harold Johnson who initially supported the motion.

Source: Dungog Chronicle.

Will Dungog vote to merge this time?

BY IAN CROUCH and JESSICA ROUSE

Just two weeks after councillors narrowly decided aginst merging, Dungog will meet again tomorrow to vote on the possible merger with Port Stephens.

A $15 million rescue package from the state government is at stake which could be put back on the table if the councils agree to merge voluntarily.

In the vote two weeks ago, councillors voted 5-4 against the move, but tomorrow's outcome could be quite different.

Since the vote, Councillor Tony Mackenzie has resigned on medical grounds and Mayor Harold Johnston has reportedly now changed his mind to vote in favour of the merge.

Deputy Premier, John Barilaro says he'll go into bat for the funding if council agrees to merge.

Image abc.net.au

Koala hospital for One Mile Beach

BY ARIANA GATTI and JESSICA ROUSE

Port Stephens Council has backed a plan to build a Koala hospital and tourism facility at Treescape Holiday Park at One Mile Beach.

The hospital is set to cost about $3 million, and will treat sick and injured koalas from the local area in a bid to protect the dwindling population.

The long-term sustainability of the koala population is key and Secretary for Port Stephens Koalas Ron Land believes the hospital could be the answer they've been looking for.

"It'll give us a chance to conduct emergency treatment and also long term care. The facilities that we currently operate are all home based and whilst they're very high quality we just can't sustain that model. We have to centralise our facilities and our long term benefits for our carers and our koala population."

One Mile Beach is the ideal place for the hospital, with 2.5 acres of natural bushland where there's already a colony of koalas.

The tourism aspect of the hospital is very important in bringing in revenue to keep the hospital sustainable for years to come.

"Port Stephens council has done a magnificent job in developing the business model and really without them, this project wouldn't have seen daylight," said Ron Land.