Council think a tiny windowless room and community centre are the same because both have urns

The Beagle Editor,

There’s been a lot of community discussion about the development or redevelopment of the Mackay Park precinct in Batemans that will now include a new Aquatic Centre and some other public assets. But when discussions began, and election promises were being made, by Councillor Lindsay Brown and Councillor Liz Innes, about the MacKay Park precinct both of them indicated in a redevelopment that would contain new publicly owned assets like the swimming pool, community centre etc. From the acquisition of the Old Bowling Club Site, the promises that were then proposed to be included in a redevelopment of the amalgamated site, said that the community rooms and facilities would be as good, or better, than the present Community Centre, at Museum Place. But now we learn that isn’t intended to be. Match box size facilities are to be provided, reducing the viability of what will be another accumulating or compounding public liability.

Our council is aware of the potential for a new compounding financial liability to come from the $70 million dollar Mackay Park Centre that will require significant ratepayer subsidies for years to come. But those employed to assist our elected representatives like the General Manager and other senior staff are apparently pushing ahead with the attitude of selling off or leasing other community owned assets in an attempt to financially manage the newly created financial public liability. However it’s now publicly known some of our elected representatives are not happy about the idea of potentially leasing  or selling the Batemans Bay Community centre to assist with underwriting the newly created Mackay Park Aquatic Centre financial liability. Councillors Lindsay Brown and Councillor Liz Innes would do the shires residents well by honouring their public promises associated with the acquisition of  Old Batemans Bay Bowling Club Site and the redevelopment of the MacKay Park precinct, wouldn’t they ?

Allan Brown

Catalina

Above: Council thinks that a meeting room with an urn equals an entire community centre with rooms, a hall and commercial kitchen plus outdoor area. Go figure.