Message from the Mayor: 13 September 2024

Message from the Mayor: 13 September 2024

Published on 13 September 2024

Good morning everybody and welcome to the weekly message I'm delivering on behalf of Mayor Connors in the lead up to the Local Government Elections, which are tomorrow.

Just a quick reminder that pre poll is still happening at the Doug Walters Pavilion but it does end today. So if you haven't already, you can still vote there today, but tomorrow, it's the actual election from 8am to 6pm on Saturday the 14th of September. Make sure you get down to cast your vote at one of the polling places, there's one at Dungog Primary School, Clarence Town Primary School, Paterson Primary School, Vacy School of Arts and East Gresford School of Arts. They are the polling places across the Dungog Shire. Please make sure you get down there and vote.

I did hear this morning the Electoral Commission also reminding everybody to make sure they vote as there are fines that apply if you don't have a good reason for not attending the election. So I encourage everybody to get out there and have your say, cast your vote.

Next we have the Clarence Town 175 years of education celebrations taking place this weekend. The celebrations start today actually, at Clarence Town Public School and also the Glen William Public School. It's to do with 175 years of education at those schools. If you do a quick Google search or have a look on The Sentinel, you'll see some of the events that are happening across Clarence Town this weekend. Please be aware that there will be a temporary closure of Gray Street in Clarence town, and that's between King Street and Duke Street on Saturday from 10 to 11am.

Next week is the last week of the Dungog Chronicle in print. It's quite a shame to see this happen, it's going to be the last printed edition. We're told that there will be an online version, but it's not quite the same as having a paper in your hand. It's been printing since 1888 so it's really sad to see that go. Dungog Shire Council has been a long time supporter of the paper. I know that the publishers were quick to highlight that state and federal government had not necessarily been supporting these local papers. However, Council has an account with the Dungog Chronicle and we were regular publishers of content, information and notices. So it's quite sad to see that go, but just a reminder that if you are looking for news about Council, you can always go to our website or our Facebook page. You can see things like this message, our Council Happenings every month, and we also do a quarterly newsletter out to ratepayers. From time to time, we also do other notices as well, like our special rate variation notices and things like that. So you can still get information from Council jut by going to our website or our Facebook page.

I think last week we talked about the success of the UCI pump track event up there at the Dungog Common. What a fantastic facility that pump track is, as well as the mountain biking park. Mayor Connors recently took the time to write to Ride Dungog and congratulate them on the event. It was, by all accounts, very successful. Around 500 people attended as spectators, and there was lots of competitors as well. It was great to see it happening up there and bringing a few people to town and into the shire. It was nice that Mayor Connors wrote that letter and it was just as nice to receive a reply letter, and a certificate of appreciation, from Brad Lane, the president of Ride Dungog back to Mayor Connors, thanking the Mayor and council for their support. Council was a major sponsor of the event, and it was nice to receive those thanks and appreciation. We will report that up to the next available meeting of Council, but we'll wait until we get a new council first, when the meetings start back up in October, and keep your eyes open for that as well.

I'll now move on to our weekly updates for works commencing across the Shire next week. Those in Dungog, you'll see in Lord St, from Hooke Street to Brown St, there's plenty of work continuing there with curb and pavement works. Drive safely through those works. With Dungog, being a grid pattern, it gives you plenty of other options to get around those works if you don't want to go through the roadworks and the safety speed zones that accompany it.

We also have Allyn River Road up at Eccleston from Halton to Gringhi Bridge. Those works are continuing and there's still extended traffic delays expected. So please bear with us as we continue with those works.

Stroud Hill Road, another popular road that people were crying out for to be fixed so I know the Mayor had spent quite a bit of time advocating for that particular road, and in the $25 million program that road has been included in that which was great. Those works are continuing. The Fosterton Road intersection is the main focus at the moment so be aware of the temporary traffic lights and follow all road signs there as well, because there will be some delays. They're doing shoulder widening earthworks and some drainage works. So take that into account if it's in your travels.

Lewinsbrook Road at Gresford, Allyn River Road to the end of the seal, council crews are commencing rehabilitation works on that section of road, with initial drainage works to commence next week. We're also doing some tar patching along Bingleburra Road. Alison Road and Glen Martin Road is also getting some tar patching and there's plenty of slashing going on as well in the Dungog area. We're doing Fosterton Road, Main Creek Road and Monkerai Road.

Just a reminder that the Dowling St car parking line marking is going to be undertaken at night to minimise disturbance to businesses and residents in that area, and they will be notified as to when those works are going to occur. We're also doing some full path maintenance in Mackey Street in Dungog, and in Grey Street in Clarence Town.

I think that pretty well wraps up the message this week. Don't forget to get down and vote in those venues I outlined before, or if you've got time today, get down to Doug Walters before it closes and cast your pre poll vote. Thanks everybody and hope you have a lovely weekend.

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