Agenda Benders - Mt Gambier Council's Rail Lands Retail Obsession

Hello Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, and Latvia....and everyone else...I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...my hobbies include whinging, whining, moaning, and groaning...oh, and 'sticking it to the Man'...(hehehe, that sounds a little rude...sticking exactly what to the Man?...and who is this Man of which you speak?-Ed)...not whom, what...the Man, man...the System, dude...sticking it to the System...(oh-Ed)...and apologies for repeatedly writing 'Spetember' in previous post when it was actually 'October'...

I'm gonna' have to get a bigger fishbowl (previous posts) because I know that I've been all over this issue several times before but it just keeps on getting bigger and bigger...and they started it...(oh very mature-Ed)...no, seriously, last weeks efforts in The Border Watch show that the Mount Gambier City Council have not given up on their Rail Lands Retail Agenda as I have covered/explained in previous posts.

City Council is fully amped, ready to go on a ratepayer funded Rail Lands Retail Agenda Bender...(oo, oo, I've got one....what do drunken sailors say when they are concerned about someones fiscal outlay?...he spends like a Mt Gambier City Council...ow, bazinga-Ed)...mmm, clumsy but true...so true...

Starting right from the moment that Mt Gambier first 'received' the Rail Lands from the state government in early 2005, this RLRA has involved multiple rounds of alleged public consultation and architect designed plans and grand announcements about a $10million Parkland Concept launched in November 2011, and deceit after deceit about the Contamination and the Deed and the Easement and the blah, blah, blah...it's all lies...and the people behind the RLRA, namely Greg Muller, Tony Pasin, Steve Perryman, etc, clearly don't care who gets hurt in the process...

These specific individuals along with some members of the Chamber of Commerce and some property owners immediately adjacent the Old Hospital and various other vested interests, have been relentlessly pursuing their own wants and needs with abject disregard for everyone else...

The latest piece of mega-lunacy...(ah, a Supermoon reference , clever-Ed)...no, just abuse...unless of course you're referring to the astronomical costs involved...(nice-Ed)...and why not start with a front page in TBW Tuesday 18th June and the 'headline' World-class vision - Architect uges City Council to consider bold old hospital plan...and then the entire page 2 with headline Bold hospital site vision  - Architect urges City Council to reconsider 'safe' plan...along with pictures of a vast glasshouse and plaza thingy.

What a crock...a massive crock...a cynical piece of gross manipulation to try and make Council's current 'plan' for that site look more reasonable, and divert attention and funds away from the Old Rail Lands site...again...
          "Arguing council's current plan was "mild, cost-effective and dull" he said a long-term
           vision over 10 years should be explored and something the community could get excited
           about should be developed."
   
Farcical...does Mr Tremelling have any idea of the Council's disastrous, self-focused conduct with building an unnecessary Library at over twice what it was originally costed, a completely pointless, massive, ugly 'Front Door' for the Riddoch Gallery known as The Main Corner, both crammed into the Cave Gardens, and the extraordinary saga of the Lady Nelson Bus Shelter, all three of which have been placed to keep the Old Rail Lands clear for a massive expansion of the Lakes Plaza/Centro Shopping Centre?

I note that on Friday morning 21/06/13 City Council's 'Architect' Michael Silvey (?-I think-sorry) was on the local ABC Radio stating that the Lady Nelson Bus Shelter was completed the day before and that bus patrons had started using it on that Thursday afternoon, but I went past within 5 minutes and there was a little old lady with her suitcase standing outside the shelter which was still 'fenced off' with witches hats and bunting.

And then there's the ongoing lack of an indoor pool, the loss of the Tennis International Tournament because Council didn't maintain the courts, lack of public transport services and infrastructure, needlessly re-paving the Main Street, etc...

Council cannot be trusted with basic services, let alone another multi-million dollar project, and this whole 'Greenhouse Concept' is a pie-in-the-sky distraction from the Parklands that should already be established at the Old Rail Lands.

Council is specifically trying to get people to argue against non-commercial development of the Rail Lands, and bingo, in TBW Friday 21/06/13, yet another long article about and interview with Mr Tremelling where he trots out a series of pointless developments, completely uncosted, with vague unexplained promises that it will somehow pay for itself.

Along with this article 21/06/13 is a long erroneous letter about how great Council is, and multiple letters stating how "fantastic" this Greenhouse idea is...poppycock and balderdash...

And a perfect segue into the Council's alleged Budget Consultation Process (previous posts) that outlines more and more borrowing, pointless projects, no indoor pool, no public transport funding, rates through the roof, etc...if you're a ratepayer you are for it to help fund Councillors ludicrous elitism and selfishness...

And most critically, the announcement that the State government intends to give 5,000 Public Housing properties to 'Care Associations' like Anglicare. This is absolutely outrageous and gets its own post, but the fall-out for ratepayers is immediately obvious as per TBW Thursday 20th June 2013 front page article Housing transfer to cut revenue.

When these houses are transferred they will qualify for a 75% rate rebate/reduction which will cost Mt Gambier approx $700,000 per annum in lost revenue.  

In a sane world, dealing with rational people, this would be the death-knell for City Council's proposed increased borrowing and expenditure that will currently raise rates by a total near 40% over the next five years...when these 'transfers' go through Council will be forced to drastically increase rates yet again to cover the loss.

Mount Gambier City Council must 'shelve' its current Budget proposals, rate increases, etc, (previous posts) and buckle down for a very rough ride...better that these things sit idle for a few more years than Council literally kills off the town...and it's dying already in case no-one noticed...businesses closing and people leaving,  property not selling, unemployment spiralling upward, etc...Mt Gambier simply cannot take too much more...

I am not being alarmist or sensationalist or addicted to hyperbole...just look around you, read my previous posts about the public response to the Budget Consultation...and Council's plans are yet more vague, costly projects, including more Council run cafes...(oh dear god-Ed)...etc, and it all has to stop.

Stop the madness for the sake of the City itself...and as if it weren't hard enough, Council continues to go into direct competition against private businesses, and hence...

Tomorrow: City Council In Business Against Private Owners

A long list of the businesses that Council operates in direct competition with privately run operations.

I have not added the articles referred to in this post because it would be way too long, but please read them if you have access...cheers...I am he as mentioned previously and this is my blog...laters...