Council locks in $84.89 million works program in challenging budget

PORT Macquarie-Hastings Council has locked in $84.89 million worth of capital works across the region for the 2020-2021 financial year. Major infrastructure projects include repairs to Kindee Bridge, the replacement of Pappinbarra Bridge, numerous timber bridges renewals, the Kew main street upgrade, the rehabilitation of Bago Road, the reconstruction of The Ruins Way and upgrades to Boundary Street. Sporting and recreation activity includes upgrading the Vince Inmon sporting fields, delivering the recreational walkway replacement program, development of the Sancrox/Thrumster sporting fields, Hastings Regional Sporting Complex and Rainbow Beach sports fields, upgrading the Port Macquarie Town Green West reserve, and working on the Lake Cathie foreshore reserve master plan. Finalising the Small Towns Sewerage Scheme, expansion of the Cairncross Waste Facility, finalising the design of the Port Macquarie Aquatic Facility, and investing $33.7 million in water and sewer projects will also be a focus. General manager, Craig Swift-McNair said that there is no doubt that impacts of the drought, bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic have been a major challenge for the community. "Council staff's direct involvement in responding to these unplanned events was necessary to support the immediate needs of our community, and as a result some projects in the current year's plan have been delayed, and this has been considered in finalising the projects that we will deliver in 2020/21," Mr Swift-McNair said. "We fully understand that the recovery process from the events that we've experienced can take many years, and we can assure the community that during 2020/21 and in the years beyond, we will continue to work with and for our community throughout this recovery process. "In saying this we want the community to have confidence that council can continue to deliver what it says it will, including maintaining $2 billion of existing assets on behalf of the community and planning for the future growth of our region." There is a $676,730 budget shortfall which will be reviewed quarterly. Council will enter into total borrowings of $1.5 million for the Hastings Regional Sporting Complex construction, and $1.2 million for timber bridges - renewals and repairs. Cr Sharon Griffiths successfully moved that if there are residual funds from the COVID-19 relief reserve and net savings identified in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 program they be redirected to fund the deficit. On top of its capital works investment, council will also deliver: Mayor Peta Pinson said that community has a high interest in council's plans, with more than 1,000 visits to Council's website, and 173 formal submissions received during the public exhibition period. "Due to COVID-19, engagement could not take place in the usual face-to-face way, and we changed our focus to online engagement, and for the first time held a Facebook Q&amp;A forum which proved extremely popular," Cr Pinson said. "It is great to see that the number of our community engaging with us has increased, and there is a real interest in how and where Council are focusing our efforts, allocating resources and spending ratepayer's money. "It is also encouraging to know that our community are an integral part of our ongoing planning process and we continue to ask our community to get involved, and to have your say at any time." WAUCHOPE, RURAL AND SURROUNDS LAURIETON, CAMDEN HAVEN AND SURROUNDS PORT MACQUARIE While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.

Council locks in $84.89 million works program in challenging budget

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