After a 6 month delay in Braidwood’s two pedestrian crossings remain unfinished. At the Palerang Council Meeting last week Judy Marston from Braidwood Region Seniors Association addressed Council asking that council “as a matter of urgency urge Essential Energy to sign off on the lights for the crossing, then we’d like council to proceed with the installation of the lighting and the zebra markings with haste.”
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The Braidwood Times also asked “As to the lighting. I’d like to know what it looks like. Although we do want it rushed to get it in before the Christmas holidays, it does actually matter what they look like. “
Later in the night Cr Paul Cockram made a statement imploring the General Manager to “do something.”
“I just want alert the Councillors and the staff to how much we are hemorrhaging at the moment in Braidwood. The council has never in my knowledge had such a low opinion held of itself as it is at the moment” said Cr Cockram
“They are absolutely disgusted that July, August, September, October, November have all gone past and nothing at all has happened in Braidwood, - nothing, except that when the red tape was taken down. What they want to know is , Is this council so weak that they have no kudos with any of those authorities , with the consultant or with the RMS or with Essential Energy” he said.
“And Mr General Manager it’s got to be up to you. Somebody has to be able to say to these people ‘Look I don’t care of your mates gone on holidays or something, get him back on the job” said Cr Cockram
Cr Cockram continued “My question is could you please publish under the council letterhead in the Braidwood Times next Wednesday a timetable of exactly what will happen in Braidwood ?”
The General manager Peter Bascomb said “We’ve been made so many promises and none of them have been delivered. On that history I don’t think I can guarantee any timeframe.”
Member for Monaro John Barilaro said on Monday “the NSW Government is funding a new pedestrian crossing at Braidwood with the project managed and delivered by Palerang Council.
Initial lighting designs submitted by Council in October did not provide adequate lighting at the crossing to ensure pedestrian safety at night.
Roads and Maritime suggested modifications and accepted Council’s changes to the lighting design on 17 November and has provided a further $50,000 for additional lights to be installed.
It is simply not good enough that the project has taken this long, I will do everything possible to ensure that Palerang Council complete this long overdue project.
It is critical that the crossing be completed as soon as possible to ensure the safety of local residents and ideally before the inevitable Canberra-to-the-coast Christmas rush.”
See also the General Managers explanation and the full transcript of the questions to council are below.
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At the Palerang Council Meeting in Bungendore last Thursday 4 Dec
TRANSCRIPT OF QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL
Judy Marston / Braidwood Region Seniors Associations
BRSA would like council as a matter of urgency urge Essential Energy to sign off on the lights for the crossing, then we’d like council to proceed with the installation of the lighting and the zebra markings with haste.
All are aware of the problems currently being experienced in Wallace Street and this is going to increase with the Christmas and school holiday period.
Alex Rea / Braidwood Times asked : “ Firstly I would like to know if there was an update on my question to the November Meeting about getting a works schedule prepared on road works It would be very handy for the community to know. Already coming over here there were two lots of roads works just starting. It does make a diff to people travelling in and out of Canberra if they are going to be held up 10 minutes or 15 minutes. It’s not a terrible difficult thing to provide this in point form report each month.
I also wanted to know where the crossing is up to . It is really starting to irritate locals in Braidwood. As to the lighting. I’d like to know what it looks like. It actually does matter what it looks like. Although we do want it rushed to get it in before the Christmas holidays, it does actually matter what they look like.
And with the Christmas season nearly here, then if they can’t be done then I propose that Braidwood’s central area has a temporary 40 km zone for the whole of the Christmas season , as there is going to be a really bad accident somewhere and it’s just not OK to leave it the way it is.
And the gardens that are there similarly, Its just a disgrace that Council didn’t get anything planted before the Quilt Event as it was for the two long weekends the month before.
Cr Cockram asked “You and I both walk the main street a fair bit, so do you think it is reasonable to say that after all this time it is not possible to find a person in Braidwood any more who has any kind words at all for the Council? “
Alex Rea responded “It’s getting hard, as hard as it is to spot a zebra.”
Cr Paul Cockram statement to Council
“I just want alert the Councillors and the staff to how much we are hemorrhaging at the moment in Braidwood. The council has never in my knowledge had such a low opinion held of itself as it is at the moment. All the time I have been on Council I have never tried to blame the Staff. I have never blamed the staff for anything and have always been supportive and tried to say I’ll get back to you. But it has got to the stage now that nobody believes me.
And what happened in Braidwood was that the people who always say things about the council , they went first. Then the people who occasionally say bad things about the council, they went next and then the people that never say bad things about the council have started. And my friend have started and even my family have started .
They are absolutely disgusted that July, August, September, October, November have all gone past and nothing at all has happened in Braidwood, - nothing, except that when the red tape was taken down .
What they want to know is , Is this council so weak that they have no kudos with any of those authorities , with the consultant or with the RMS or with Essential Energy.
Cant we ask for a favour, can’t we bully anybody? Cant we actually do anything? They want to know why we are so powerless.
And what it is leading to is such a lack of confidence in the council that if somebody said ‘do you think we should put your rates up and give you more services’, they’d say ‘absolutely not they can’t handle anything already.’
And if somebody says ‘should we amalgamate them with Queanbeyan’ well they’ll say ‘well it couldn’t be any worse.‘
And Mr General Manager it’s got to be up to you. Somebody has to be able to say to these people Look I don’t care of your mates gone on holidays or something Get him back on the job
We just need a few poles with a few lights . Nobody even know what the lights look like.
I try to defend the council whenever I can. But I’ve been through the plans for that crossing and there are pages of stuff and there’s not one age has anything to do with lighting
I mean, I can’t walk up the street any more. I just.. Can you do something, Can you do Something. Like pick up the phone tomorrow and say Listen Bert, Get that man back from holidays. Get that plan finished, Get the truck over there and stick the pole in the ground and then get the wires run.
Especially before Christmas. It would be a great Christmas present for the people of Braidwood and for me.
Sorry for the rave
The Mayor said “I’ll take that as a question.”
Cr Hogarth Boyd said “Sorry but there was a question there. what can be done ? Can you do something?
Cr Cockram continued “My question is could you please publish under the council letterhead in the Braidwood Times next wed a timetable of exactly what will happen in Braidwood ?
The General manager Peter Bascomb said “we’ve been let down so many times I’m not prepared to. We’ve been made so many promises and none of them have been delivered
On that history I don’t think I can guarantee any timeframe.
I can go out there say I will do my best endeavours by Christmas, but I was told that things were going to be approved a while back and now I'm told they’re not going to be approved.
We don’t have control of this project in the sense that we are relying on other parties.
Yes we are hammering them. Yes we are asking questions. Yes we are trying to get a result. But today I was talking about liquidated damages on the electrical contractor because they have let us down so badly. I don’t know that I can do much more.