Re: Submission to Operational Plan 2019-20
Speaker: Jude Manahan, President, Moruya Business Chamber
Good morning to the Mayor, Clr Liz Innes, General Manager, Catherine Dale, Eurobodalla Shire Councillors, Council staff and the general public.
I am here this morning representing the Moruya Business Chamber to speak on the chamber’s submission to the Operational Plan 2019-20.
The Chamber has 10 items that we have asked to be included in the Operations Plan. The first four items under Community Facilities focus on the liveability of Moruya town centre. Toilet block, main street garden beds and town clock are all in need of immediate attention as they are below standard and reflect badly on the town. The 4th and last item under Community Facilities relates to a health and life style aspect of town. Without a secure location to park a bike while in town the promotion of health and outdoor activities, for children and adults can not be pursued. We want the streets of Moruya to be vibrant and alive with pedestrians which includes those arriving by bicycle.
The four items under the Tourism heading, focus on attracting visitors to Moruya and once here for their stay to be easy and memorable. Item 2 is a simple task, easily implemented, it’s the marking out of the long wheel vehicle parking spaces that currently exist at Russ Martin Park and Church Street, Riverside Park. What’s needed is the tared road to be marked with white lines to clearly ‘easily’ show that the space is for long wheel base vehicles, in particular RV’s.
Item 3 on the Tourism list is the ‘memorable’ aspect, and this can be met with the continuation of the Moruya Town & Visitor Information Centre. The centre has been open December and January for the last 3 years, it has engaged with 1000 visitors and locals, handed out over 3000 pamphlets, tourism guides and business flyers. The chamber coordinates the centre and the volunteer staff it’s visitor statements like, ‘nothing like talking to a local’ where we understand the significant impact of offering a friendly and engaging welcome, which in turn creates the memorability of Moruya and by extension the Eurobodalla Shire.
The Chamber needs financial assistance as the coordinator’s role is not sustainable without it being a paid position. We are asking for $6,000 a year to pay for a part time person to coordinate the Moruya Town & Visitor Information Centre for the 2019/20 summer holiday period.
Items 1 and 4 on the Tourism list, the location for RV overnight short stay and developing Moruya as a Destination Town, go hand in hand. With the announcement of a Moruya ByPass by the local MP Andrew Constance in March this year, it is all the more imperative that the Chamber works with council to ensure both the RV self contained short stay and development of a Moruya Destination strategy is achieved in the short term i.e. 2019/20. To meet these challenges that lay ahead for Moruya we ask that a council and chamber joint Bypass Strategy sunset committee be formed, through which we can address issues and develop the potential benefits.
The final two points are asking council staff to assist MBC in negotiations with two large institutions, the Roads Maritime Services (RMS) and Essential Energy. RMS through the building of a ByPass will create an anticipated massive negative impact on Moruya small retail businesses. The Chamber in representing small business in Moruya needs to be aware and kept up to date with advancements in the project and we anticipate a joint Bypass Strategy sunset committee would meet this need.
The final point refers to Essential Energy and Moruya Business Chamber who are experiencing a disagreement in regard to accessing the light poles along Vulcan Street, Moruya. Chamber wants to display Christmas decorations and festival banners on the town’s main street poles but Essential Energy are demanding, what in chamber’s opinion is an out of proportion, high cost new equipment before permission is granted to access the poles. We ask council for a designated council staff officer to work with us on this matter to assist the chamber in its discussions with Essential Energy.
We thank council for the areas in which it has assisted the Moruya Business Chamber in the past and we now ask council to assist us again with the ten items we have listed in this current submission.
