Mission Statement:

To support and develop a sustainable, thriving and resilient community

through leadership and partnership.

HELD: / Tuesday 8 October 2013, 7pm
LOCATION: / Chiltern Senior Citizens Centre

NUMBER OF RESIDENTS: 13

Councillors / Council Officers / Community members
Mayor Cr Barb Murdoch / CEO Brendan McGrath
Deputy Mayor Cr Peter Croucher / General Manager Sustainable Communities Mark Florence
Cr Bernard Gaffney / General Manager Infrastructure Services Alan Clark
Cr Roberta Horne / General Manager Corporate Services Greg Pinkerton
Cr James Trenery / Manager Communications Roberta Baker
PLEASE NOTE: While every effort is made to accurately record comments, these minutes are not verbatim. Some editing is done for clarity.
ITEM NO / ITEM / ACTION
1.0 / Welcome
2.0 / Apologies – Cr Jenny O’Connor, Cr Don Chambers
3.0 / Infrastructure - The Big picture – Alan Clark
Alan spoke to the handout that attendees received. Also spoke to the items listed on the agenda.
Bill Hotson mentioned road issues, section between Hume Freeway and Old Cemetery Road. Earmarked for sealing a long time ago. Affects us with our cherry traffic business. Don’t understand why it dropped off the list. Still waiting on the service centre?
Alan – original idea was for service centre to add to those works. They will have a road contribution but for closer to the site. My staff are working on a priority list of road sealing in urban and rural areas throughout the shire.
Bill Hotson – re access off freeway. VicRoads planned to block it.
Mark Florence – I will get correct information out to you as part of theses minutes. (See attached plan)
John Hammond – need a seal from Rutherglen road at least to entrance to lawn cemetery. When there is a funeral or in summer the dust becomes very dangerous.
John Disher – at Wall Street, back of all shops on north side of Conness Street, there are many trucks servicing businesses. Dust is unbelievable. Trucks chew up the road, doesn’t matter what you put down there.
Alan Clark – I have asked my staff for a design to seal that road, problem is it is flat and drainage is a problem. We will get something up for the budget next year but it will compete with all the other road projects.
Bill Hotson – re Chiltern Valley Road and cycle tourism, Council should extend width, add a metre on side of road for the bikes. Gives room for 2 vehicles to pass. Would add an enormous product for Chiltern, would repay itself over time.
Alan Clark – there are a lot of projects competing for the dollars.
John Hammond – kerbing at corner of Main Street near hospital needs work, entrance to Chiltern from all directions is not beautiful. But at hospital near Barkly St and Main Street, just that little curve there needs to be done, to make the entrance to town better.
Also – couple of footpaths not complete, one in Main Street on left hand side just past kinder. Could use pavers up at council depot.
Alan – footpath is on list but not programmed at this point.
Patrick O’Connor- Gibson Street east, gravel road no kerb and guttering, would like to keep it that way thanks.
Lois Hotson – path outside community centre is quite dangerous.
Alan – our intention is to get rid of all pavers.
Bob Goldsworthy – Peake Court work was excellent. Area been slashed, now there is thick dead grass. If somebody drops a match it would be an absolute fire hazard. There are 3-4 stumps. I asked council 3-4 months ago to do something with them because they are shooting. Nothing happened. Children play on levee bank. This is a real fire threat.
Levee bank is great, can sleep at night not worrying you might get flooded.
Alan – I will have a look myself. And will take some action to get the stumps ground straight away.
John Hammond - War memorial a disgrace all last week. Wasn’t clean, when it is mowed with huge mower, everything is thrown out on to the road. Around the tourist park there is always a mess. Trees in park – one dead and 2 need mouth to mouth.
Did a beautiful job on Greens Lane.
John - Bridge to be repaired a couple of years ago, still needs to be repaired at spillway.
Alan – an assessment at the moment may identify the spillway is too small which may impact on the bridge
Marianne O’Connor – Rutherglen bypass issue, what’s happening?
Cr Murdoch – we are about to present to the Rutherglen community on some ideas we have, dependent on government funding but can’t release anything here before we tell the Rutherglen community.
CEO Brendan McGrath – Main Street is a VicRoads responsibility, an alternative route outside the town is decades away at best. What will be doing in Rutherglen is a look at how to improve Main Street. / Alan Clark
Greg Pinkerton – re industrial land overview, work is being done looking at locations, planning. Economic development team is looking at this with aim to bring options to Council to have a look at and then go out for community consultation.
Other projects in the shire had support from State Government, but not here in Chiltern. Hopeful to wrap something up for Council in next few months. Eventually, to get an industrial state we would need a rezoning.
Bill Hotson - 6 years ago, after a review of the planning scheme, particular land was earmarked to go to the planning minister for that rezoning to take place but it never occurred. This is holding Chiltern back, Council is sitting on its hands.
Mark Florence – apart from 3 sites, Council doesn’t own land.
Bill – in industrial development elsewhere council became the developer. If there is some land available to anyone, if council became the owner and developer and got appropriate zoning, businesses will come if council takes the initiative.
Goods Shed Update – Tourism Manager Kate Biglin
We had a meeting with VicTrack about 18 months ago. Back on the radar about 4 months ago. Council has been working with Chiltern Progress Association. Designs close to being finalized. Lease being prepared for council to consider, hopefully at November Council meeting, to take on that building for 10 years. Capital work to be done by VicTrack. Would have a cycle tourism hub, workspace for volunteers, space for different community groups too, very exciting, great opportunity for Chiltern.
4.0 / Your Say
Lois Hotson – asked for an update on the Chiltern-Mt Pilot proposed interpretative centre.
Kate Biglin – An Expression of Interest for the next stage of funding is with RDV. Number of key things, product development, school groups, online resources, etc. increasing business activity and information.
Patrick O’Connor – re flood mitigation strategy. Council response was outstanding to flood issues and criticism from community. Suggest you remove ‘flood proofing’ out of correspondence. Sets up false idea that flooding can be stopped. Should use flood mitigation.
Comment - Main Street and Martin Lane, low level drain opened up and large areas under culvert that are opened. Needs to be cleaned up.
Alan Clark – yes a bit of maintenance needed there.
Marianne O’Connor – I would like to see improved network of footpaths, all linked up. Lot of elderly people and dangerous on rough sections. Really good near school, but walkers have to take alternative route at Wall Street because their wheely-walkers won’t go over the gravel.
Alan – tricky area water doesn’t get away but I am sure we can come up with something,
Bill Hotson – re a fire management plan for Chiltern. I don’t think people understand how people will react in a fire situation. I just wonder what the plan here is in Chiltern?
Mark Florence – there is a certain level of personal responsibility needed. Council does have a vulnerable persons’ register. Expanded now to include other vulnerable people who do not get Home and Community Care services.
Those registers involve family plans so family and others know what to do. The Neighbourhood Safer Place or Place of Last Resort in Chiltern is the hall.
Meeting ended at 8.14pm / Alan Clark
Alan Clark

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