NEWS FLASH!

A core group of Wolstencroft Area Action Group met with Council staff (including Council CEO Craig Niemann) on 12 August this year. The discussion didn't exactly prove fruitful for the long term vision for Wolstencroft Park, but it did help to identify some progress that can be actioned now.

WAAG was given an agreement that Council would investigate further the EPA testing required for the site, and would look to spread the piled QEO soil as soon as possible to give maximum opportunity for local residents to use the park this spring, summer and beyond. It was suggested by WAAG that the soil on the site would not cover the entire Park, and nor would the (token) funds allocated in the 2011/12 budget, so the compromise of spreading the soil to the southern half of the park (from Beebe Street to Rodney Street) was suggested.

Today (Sep 29, 2011) WAAG received an email from Presentation and Assets Director Darren Fuzzard indicating that the work to spread the soil will begin next week! Great news!!

In his own words:

"Sorry for the delay in activity however I am pleased to advise that we are now in a position to start spreading the topsoil from the QEO over the site.

These works are planned to commence next week.

I note your advice about the Rodney Street end being the preferred location to start from and have requested our construction crew to do so.

I am currently in discussions with the EPA about the need for and nature of further testing and hope to know more about that in the coming 2 months. I will let you know when I have something to report."

Stay tuned for a time and date for a WAAG get-together at our park to celebrate some progress being made, and hopefully we can all make the most of the park in the coming warmer months.

Budget reply - one week left to get your views heard!

Some key points you may feel are not appropriately addressed in Council 2011/12 budget:

• How does Ewing park receieve a budget of $350K without any significant pre-planning document in place unlike Wolstencroft?

• Why does council continue to ignore the needs of this community despite so many years of campaigning?

• Why does a $700K taxi rank to cater for late night CBD patrons take precedence over a multi-use, passive recreational, open space area capable of serving the needs of families from 4 suburbs (Flora Hill, Quarry Hill, Kennington and Bendigo)?

• Does a $10,000 allocation in this year's budget to 'spread soil and sow seed' simply mean Wolstencroft Park is done and dusted?

• On what page of the Wolstencroft Park master plan is this ($10,000 spread soil and sow seed) action specified?

• Why hasn't council completed soil tests consistent with EPA regulations to achieve a Certificate of Environmental audit or Statement of Environmental audit? Is there something to hide? Is this site in fact an environmental hazard? How would this be viewed in the media?

Please write in THIS WEEK to make sure that Council knows how many people in our community are disappointed with their treatment of residents who want Wolstencroft Park.

WAAG meeting recap - decision time

On May 30 representatives of WAAG met to discuss the latest information (or lack thereof) at Wolstencroft Park and to consider the options for future direction.

As most people will be aware a group of residents met with Cr Sandner just prior to the release of Council’s 2011/12 draft budget to seek assurance that the interests of the community were being supported and progress on the implementation of the Wolstencroft Park master plan actually existed.

What we are now able to confirm is that neither is being achieved.

Based on the information provided by Cr Sandner from our earlier meeting, subsequent information obtained from various sources within and outside Council (including budget details) and a follow up email from Cr Sander with responses to specific questions, it is obvious we are no closer to achieving the objective of stage 1 of the master plan being implemented next financial year. Suffice to say, nor is there much confidence from the detail provided to date that action is forthcoming in future years.

So where to from here?

Council’s "generous" decision to allocate $10,000 in next year’s budget to ‘spread soil and sow seed’ at the parkland site naturally elicits anger and frustration and therefore a temptation to adopt an adversarial approach in response to both Cr Sandner and Council as a whole.

Individually people are free to respond how they see fit and there is no doubt an expression of disappointment is warranted and certainly encouraged by every one who has an interest in seeing this park land being developed.

However, discussion at the May 30 meeting centred on the ‘pros and cons’ of how WAAG should respond and it was decided (based somewhat on the collective and individual energy required) that there is very little to gain in taking an adversarial approach and a lot more to gain in ‘taking’ what has been offered (the $10,000) and using it to shape a realistic pathway to success in the future. It’s important to note ‘taking’ does not mean ‘accepting’. In fact given the incompetency the community has endured over the past 5 years one could argue accepting nothing less than an apology from council and a genuine attempt to develop a constructive working relationship (with the community ) is required.

So, this isn’t a standstill but an opportunity to re-strategise if you like and hopefully eke an outcome we are all satisfied with in years to come.

Strategies discussed in how to proceed from here were discussed and further information about the outcomes from this last meeting is available. If you would like to offer your support in other ways too, then WAAG would love to hear from  you.

In the meantime let your Council know what you think about their budget decisions and continue to campaign loud and strong for our park land - there is only one week left for replies to the draft budget to be received!

Councillor meeting recap

On Monday 16 May, members of WAAG met with our local Councillor Alec Sandner to discuss Wolstencroft Park and it's inclusion in this year's budget. Here's a summary of what went down.....

WAAG presented a slideshow of the progress (very little) so far of the Park, and the results (so big) of our Christmas party and then identified the following:

•  That strong community support exists for the development of the Park, based on a strong history of previous community consultation and input which culminated in a successful gathering of more than 100 people last December for an inaugural Christmas Party
• That WAAG was not being fully represented and supported by our Ward Councillor in advancing our objectives, and information relating to the EPA testing remains, at best, vague and incomplete.
• That WAAG will not accept a "No, it's a too hard decision to progress" response from Council

Click through to see how Cr Sandner responded......

Meeting with Councillor Alec Sandner MONDAY NIGHT

Next Monday May 16, our local ward councillor Alec will be coming to talk to us about the progress (or otherwise) of Wolstencroft Park. The upcoming budget is soon to be announced. Please join us to see what's happening with our local park, and to set our strategy from this point.

WAAG will be giving a quick slide show about what we've done so far and what what we imagine this space can be for our community.

Then Alec will talk to us about the park and the budget.

Bring a friend, the more the merrier to show the numbers of support for the park.

Venue: 14 Hallam St, Flora Hill (Ian and Claire's place)
Time: 7.00 pm, with Cr Sandner arriving at 7.30 pm
BYO: Drinks or a plate to share.

Check in to this blog or join WAAG on Facebook to stay tuned for more WAAG events, news and action.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wolstencroft-Area-Action-Group-WAAG-Bendigo

Letter to the Editor

Today's Bendigo Advertiser featured a letter from WAAG member Michael Toman.
Have you made your voice heard too?

Remember it's never too late to contact our Councillors to let them know how much our community wants Wolstencroft Park!

New Year, New Determination

It's over a month now since our super successful Christmas party. Have you sent a letter to your local councillor yet? Below are some suggestions for key points to include when you send your letter:

• It was our impression that the park land development was going to begin construction following Council adoption of the Master Plan in June 2008;
• The local community around Wolstencroft Park are passionate and keen for the development of the park to enjoy passive recreation activities and a community garden;
• The development of Wolstencroft Park will provide enormous social benefits to the whole of Bendigo;
• It is important that Council commit to begin Wolstencroft Park implementation, as per Stage 1 of the Master Plan, and allocate funding in the 2011/12 COGB budget. Stage 2 funding can then be allocated in subsequent years;
• There has been soil from the QEO upgrade stock piled at Wolstencroft Park. This soil needs to be utilised for project implementation before it causes offsite impacts, such as being washed into the nearby creek.

Please include your own personal points of view so that Alec and the other Councillor’s can gain a better understanding of the full picture around the development of Wolstencroft Park. 

The councillor for the Wolstencroft area is Cr Alec Sandner and his contact details can be found here. 

It's not long to go now until Council will be asked to decide on what to include on the 2011/12 budget, so get writing & phoning and keep spreading the word about how much we want our park!!