Dear Beagle Editor, I am hoping that with a new year, maybe we could expect a new attitude so, being the eternal optimist, with an open heart and mind, I believe we can ‘start again’ with the following letter I have sent to Council and Councillors. In 2018 I, like many others, am hoping for a change in the way Eurobodalla Council relates to residents and ratepayers. There would be no doubt that they would not want to see a new year mirror the abysmal year they had in 2017 where they sustained blow after blow in the public domain and possibly sunk to an all time low comparable to the lack of trust and respect held for Council when it was dismissed in the 1980’s. My letter (below), will hopefully invite Councillors to repair the distrust that is held of Council by the community, might encourage them towards the openness and transparency to which they so often refer. There is one question that has been asked ‘ad nauseum’ of them over this first year in office and that is ‘why did the General Manager, via delegated authority by councillors, purchase the Batemans Bay Bowling Club’ supposedly ‘for the community’. There are untold numbers of media releases but not one reveals the reason for the purchase, despite ‘expressions of interest’ being sought from the community for its use. An answer to this question and the others below would be not only appropriate but also timely as we move ahead into a new year. Dear Mayor/Councillors Could you please advise any update regarding the grant applications in relation to Mackay Park Precinct Redevelopment. Could you also please advise what arrangements, if any, are in place for the RMS to occupy the old Bowling Club during the course of the new bridge construction? If the RMS is to occupy the building, who will be responsible for the refurbishment of the club, if any? If not, will the club building be demolished as proposed by Clr Pollock at council’s meeting 29/8/17? If so, who will bear the costs thereof? And finally, what was the reason the Bowling Club was purchased by council on behalf of the community, in April 2016, if the community is not permitted to use the building, despite seeking expressions of interest? It would be appreciated if you could simply answer the questions in language that is easy to understand. Thank you. Sincerely
Coral Anderson
