COUNCIL MEETING NEWS, 17 FEBRUARY 2010
Wauchope Cemetery Expands
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is set to enter into negotiations with Forests NSW to acquire part of the Broken Bago Forest to enable the expansion of the Wauchope Cemetery to cater for community needs for the next 60 years.
A report to tonight's Council meeting stated the Wauchope Cemetery is nearing its capacity for burials. Based on the current burial rate, capacity will most likely be reached in five years. Given the integral role of the cemetery in the community, it is now timely to consider the expansion of the cemetery to cater for future needs.
The report identified that given the restrictions on expansion to the north, east and west, expansion into the Broken Bago Forest to the south is considered the only viable alternative.
Council's Director of Corporate and Business Services, Tony Leahy said, "Council has already raised the issue with the District Office of Forests NSW who have no objections to the land acquisition subject to compensation.
"Significant time is required to prepare what is now forest. This requires the removal of trees and the natural process of the rotting of the residual stumps will most likely take in the order of five years before the ground is capable of being used for cemetery purposes," Mr Leahy said.
"Given the time lag in preparing the ground and given the anticipated time frame before the present cemetery reaches capacity, the acquisition will need to be finalised as soon as possible.
"The area of land identified would be sufficient room for burials for at least the next 60 years," Mr Leahy said.
New Speed Zones
Following extensive community consultation on planned new speed zones in the area, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has written to the Roads and Traffic Authority asking that community concerns be adopted before the new speed zones come into force.
Last year the Roads and Traffic Authority conducted a review of speed zones along Ocean Drive and Hastings River Drive and have recommended a number of speed zone changes.
During the review process, submissions from the community were invited commenting on the existing speed zones as well as suggesting further changes.
Council's Director of Infrastructure, Jeffery Sharp said, "Quite a number of people made submissions to both Council and the RTA requesting that further changes be made to speed zones along Ocean Drive and Hastings River Drive.
These include provision of a 50 kmh zone in Hastings River Drive from 200m west of Aston Street to 200m west of Tuffins Lane, a 50 kmh zone in Ocean Drive from 100m south of Miala Street to 300m south of Abel Tasman Drive and a 50 kmh zone in Ocean Drive from 200m west of Glenhaven Drive to Pacific Highway at Kew.
"Most concerns raised highlighted the inconsistencies between speed zones, the high number of different speed zones and pedestrian safety, particularly through Lake Cathie and Bonny Hills.
Most of the RTA's proposal has a consistent 50kmh to 70kmh to 100kmh transitions, as opposed to 60kmh to 80kmh to 100kmh. The majority of changes provide an average 10km/h speed reduction.
"While speed zones are determined by the Roads and Traffic Authority, Council has now adopted those community recommendations and will now write to the RTA requesting the proposed changes be included in the final determination of speed zones which are expected in the first half of the year," Mr Sharp said.
TBT Waste
Following tonight's Council meeting, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council will commence negotiations with the Manager Director of the Birdon Group regarding entering into a Memorandum of Agreement for Council to accept sediment containing tributyltin (TBT) at the Cairncross Waste Management Facility.
TBT is contained within organotin waste which is generated by the shipping industry during the removal of anti fouling paint containing organotin chemicals. The quantities of sediment under discussion are in the vicinity of 6,000 to 10,000 tonnes.
The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DESSW) has written to Council advising that acceptance of the waste sediment containing TBT material at the Cairncross landfill can be undertaken.
Council's Waste Services Manager, Bob Bailey said, "The waste would be contained in a mono cell in isolation from other waste and controlled through a leachate barrier system and a leachate collection system.
