March meetings - come on down!

Notice of Council Workshop - 6 March 2014

A Council Workshop will be held at the Courthouse, Circle St, New Norfolk on Thursday, March 6, 2014 at 6.30pm. The format is an open session with the general public for the first half hour. The remainder of the workshop is closed to the public. 

Notice of Council Meeting - 20 March 2014

An ordinary meeting of council will be held at the Court House, Circle St, New Norfolk, on Thursday,  March 20, 2014, at 6.30pm. The public is invited to attend the meeting.  The council meeting agenda will be available online and at the Council Office, Circle St, New Norfolk, from Friday, March 14, 2014. CORRECTION: The meeting will be held at Westerway, in the community hall, starting with a community forum at 6.30pm followed by the formal meeting at 7pm.

February meetings

Council Workshop - February 6, 2014

The next monthly council workshop will be held at the Court House, Circle St, New Norfolk on Thursday, February 6, at 6.30pm. The first 30 minutes is an open session in which the general public is entitled to attend and ask any questions. I regret that the remainder of the workshop is closed to the public. No formal agendas are created for workshops and your participation is most welcome.

 

Council Meeting - February 20, 2014

The next monthly meeting of council will be held at the Court House, Circle St, New Norfolk on Thursday, February 20, at 6.30pm. The public is invited to attend the meeting and the agenda will be available online and at the Council Office, New Norfolk, from Friday, February 14. A public question time is available at this meeting and questions must be provided to the general manager 10 minutes before the start of the meeting. I would be pleased to offer assistance to any person wishing to put a question to the meeting and can be contacted by emailing keepdamohonest@gmail.com.

Councillor questions

HERE'S an update on the questions I have asked on your behalf at council meetings over the last six months or so.

July 2013 council meeting held at New Norfolk*

Mr Mayor, can David Llewellyn be invited to meet with councillors to discuss the progress of his committee over the last 12 months? The mayor answered "yes".

Mr Mayor, can you advise who was on the expression of interest evaluation committee in regard to the tenders for Willow Court? The mayor advised that the evaluation committee members were David Llewellyn AM, Tony Wright, Brett Noble and Mayor Martyn Evans.

Mr Mayor, can the draft minutes of the Willow Court Conservation Special Committee can be provided to Councillors on the basis that they do not forward them to anyone else until approved? The mayor advised that he would take this issue up with the chairperson of the Willow Court Conservation Special Committee.

Mr Mayor, can media releases from the Willow Court Conservation Special Committee be provided to all councillors? The mayor advised that this can be done.

Mr Mayor, can you advise why there has been no notification of the fact and circumstances of the resignation of a member of the Willow Court Conservation Special Committee? The mayor advised that he would pursue this matter with the chairperson of the committee.

Mr Mayor, are you aware of whether Mr Leo Schofield has recently visited Willow Court or New Norfolk in general? The mayor advised that the Willow Court Conservation Special Committee at its last meeting was advised by Mr Brett Noble that Mr Schofield would be on site on Friday 12 July 2013. 

* The minutes of the July meeting do not entirely accurately reflect my questions. They are correctly listed above.


August 2013 council meeting held at New Norfolk
Mr Mayor, can you advise councillors of the detail of two government grants awarded to the council this week? The General Manager answered on the mayor's behalf that grants had been received for a footpath at Westerway and a pedestrian bridge on Humphrey St in New Norfolk.

September 2013 council meeting held at New Norfolk*

Mr Acting Mayor, may councillors have a copy of the correspondence from DIER relating to caravans and campervan traffic in the Molesworth area? The general manager answered "yes".

Mr Acting Mayor, can the council write to Tim Reid to congratulate him on being named Farmer of the Year? Acting Mayor Barry Lathey answered "yes".

Mr Acting Mayor, has David Llewellyn responded to our request for a meeting between himself and the council? The General Manager advised that Mr Llewellyn would address the next workshop.

Mr Acting Mayor, have we had an answer to our letter to the solicitor-general and others requesting legal advice on the state archivist's instructions regarding council documents? The General Manager advised that he had received a response from the solicitor-general and this would be forwarded to councillors.

 

* The minutes of the September meeting do not entirely accurately reflect my questions and the answers given. They are correctly listed above.

October 2013 council meeting held at Molesworth
Mr Mayor, has the new Federal Member for Lyons indicated to you whether he intends to maintain his predecessor’s office in New Norfolk? The mayor advised that the new member would retain the New Norfolk office until the end of January 2014. After this date the member would be reviewing his situation. 


November 2013 council meeting held at New Norfolk
Mr Acting Mayor, four years ago tonight, five of us signed our certificates of election for four-year terms. With those terms now expired and no advice received from the governor, premier, minister or director of local government, is this council now acting without legal authority? The General Manager answered "No".


December 2013 council meeting held at New Norfolk*
Mr Mayor, what action is to be taken in regard to the unnecessary demolition of the colonial structure forming the basement of the now destroyed change rooms at the Willow Court Oval? The mayor responded: "was it unnecessary?"

Mr Mayor, can the council give urgent attention to roadside slashing and mowing at Bushy Park and Plenty? The general manager said this would be taken up with the works manager.

Mr Mayor, can the council write to all political parties requesting statements of their support for the development of Willow Court and what funding they will contribute to it? The mayor answered "yes".

* The minutes of the December meeting do not entirely accurately reflect my questions and the answers given. They are correctly listed above. 

Annual General Meeting 2013

THE council's annual general meeting will be held this Thursday, December 12, in the New Norfolk Courthouse at 5pm. I encourage all interested residents and ratepayers to download a copy of the annual report from the council website here, or to obtain a hardcopy from the council chambers.

The AGM is your opportunity to ask questions about the council's activities over the last financial year and to propose motions from the floor - which if carried by the members of the public present, must then be considered at the next council meeting.

Willow Court works update

Councillors have today been provided with the following update on the progress of works at Willow Court. Thanks to project officer Brett Noble for this information.


Willow Court works update

As many would have noticed, there is currently considerably activity at The Barracks.

Over the last couple of weeks, all the windows facing into The Barracks courtyard have been restored to working order.  The windows retain all the marks of their 180 years of life – patches, different paint layers, repairs, and breaks - but are now in working order.  Some very intriguing metal work, hand stamped with the ‘convict arrow’, was uncovered during this work.  The ‘convict arrow’ was also found on many of the window frames.

Work has also begun on a couple of the original doors, as a test of what this work will entail.

In addition, specialist renderers have been working on the verandah plinth, removing cement render and bits of loose render, ahead of applying a poultice.  The poultice will be on for a few weeks, to draw out the moisture and salts that had been trapped in the masonry, before a new lime render is applied.  Part of this work involved the removal of some of the brick pavers that were hard against the verandah plinth, and a little excavation along the face of the plinth.  This work has shown that along the southern side of the building the original ground level was much lower that at present.

Behind the scenes, the head contractor requests for tenders is nearing completion, which should see the selection of a head contractor in the next week.  As you will recall, part of the selection criteria for this work is the involvement of local sub-contractors.

Brett Noble
Senior Project Manager (Willow Court Project)

Zap Fitness approved

THE proposal to establish a Zap Fitness centre in New Norfolk required council approval and was the subject of much discussion in the community. There was a perception that approval might prove difficult to obtain, but in the end no councillor spoke against it at tonight's council meeting. Councillors Evans, Shaw and Shoobridge were absent and Cr Lester stepped out after declaring an interest. 

The following are my speech notes from tonight's meeting:

"Mr Acting Mayor, six months ago when we were discussing another development, I quoted from the planning scheme where it states the intent of preserving commercial activity in our central business district. That is what this application does.

"We have one of Tasmania’s leading businessmen wanting to expand his fitness centre operations to New Norfolk and while I do not think this is the best use for such a large shop, given the state of our economy I am pleased to see any business activity taking place there.

"This development is being proposed as a place of assembly and our planning scheme describes this as being for recreational, social, entertainment, cultural or religious purposes. The proposed fitness centre could well be described as meeting several of those criteria, not least 'recreational'.

"The problem area is parking but we are able to exercise some discretion. There is a Zap Fitness Centre near my workplace and I have seen its customers arrive on bicycles, skateboards, and on foot as well as by car. The use of these centres seems quite social and I have seen people sharing a car.

"The use of the proposed fitness centre will be spread throughout the day and I believe sufficient parking is available within a short walk in almost any direction. Charging the developer more than $10,000 in lieu of the missing parking spaces will not result in any extra parking spaces being created. I believe charging this fee could jeopardise the whole project. I believe we should waive the fee and approve this centre."

Spring newsletter

THE latest issue of the Derwent Valley Council newsletter (Spring 2013) is available for downloading from the council website here.