Tomorrow night there will be a Special Council meeting to consider budget submissions. As per usual, Newton’s advertising of, and publicity for this meeting is abysmal. No link on the home page – except if you happen to go to the Public Notices section, where there is an advertisement – but placed in the May announcements! The ads in the local papers were both miniscule and appeared on pages 20/22. So much for alerting the public!
We believe that it is important that even though there were only 5 submissions, the views of residents are widely disseminated. Below are some verbatim selections from these submissions.
FRIENDS OF CAULFIELD PARK
The photo above, appears under the heading of ‘More Concrete’
“We were greatly perturbed to see the introduction of ‘tidy’ concrete kerbing instead of the friendly informal grass edging formerly abutting Inkerman Road. We cannot understand why Council appears so reluctant to engage in discussion and consultation with park users(including the Friends of Caulfield Park) prior to undertaking what appears to be non-essential cosmetic surgery. It would be far more useful to spend the money maintaining the crushed rock paths which are used and enjoyed by hundreds of people on a daily basis”.
COMMENT: Yes, and what of risk management? A lump of concrete sticking out (especially at night without lighting) when people use this path both for walking and running.
The Depot
“We firmly believe that continuing to alienate a large tract of land within our premier park for the purposes of a depot, largely to service a range of totally non-park related purposes, is a misuse and abuse of the land and the purpose for which it was given”
The Elm Avenue
“In our 2010 submission, we identified the need for urgent action. Nothing has been done as yet. A by-product of our tree identification program confirmed that whilst there is significant regrowth due to the recent rain, there is a large amount of dead peripheral growth that was scorched during the previous dry period. About half the elms are neglected and in urgent need of remedial pruning to facilitate proper regrowth.
COMMENT: The last quote can also probably be extended to every single park in Glen Eira. The lack of pruning and general maintenance endangers literally millions of dollars worth of council assets.
MR & MRS DOWD
“We note Council’s governance still intentionally, repeatedly secretive, deceptive, misleading. No real honesty, transparence, openness re Council’s informing ratepayer the real truth of Council’s share of Pensioner Rate Rebate as compared to Government share.
Councils repeatedly reduced its share as Govt. Increased its share. So intentionally shifty.
We note Council not only dissatisfied with about double CPI and inflation rise in rates, repeatedly, more rate payers will have to pay Interest for many years for Councils borrowing the maximum allowed for ever increasing extravagant spending beyond means despite all the ever increasing rates from those ever increasing over developments and congested boxes. The worst Council in Melbourne and with the least open space. Therefore the most destruction of open space and the liveability greatly reduced. Big brother knows best, using ratepayers funds against the best interest of the majority in favour of minority, also other who are not ratepayers and Government who also don’t contribute anywhere near ratepayers share”.
MRS BUTTON
“ I object strongly with being charged $55 for a green waste bin or penalized $145 P.A. as I have a 120 litre bin and no green bin.
As I am a widow 73 years retiree single, and living on my investments, in a unit without large trees and no large garden, myself and others in my situation are being unjustly discriminated against.
Glen Eira council is simply grabbing at this tax, in an unfair manner.
These charges have not bern thought out properly, and council is not acting fairly for its ratepayers.”
COMMENT: We envisage that the evening will unfold as follows. Perhaps some of these submitters will address council. They will be given their legal right of 3 minutes. Councillors will sit there mute; there will be no exchange between residents and councillors, and after a 30 minute meeting that will be the end of the story. Legal obligations fulfilled so that at the appropriate time the budget can be accepted and endorsed by council.
Glen Eira Debates 
June 13, 2011 at 2:07 PM
This really makes for depressing reading. Basic things such as making sure that our park trees survive are simply not being carried out. The Friends of Caulfield Park claim that they’ve alerted council to this last year and nothing has happened. I believe them entirely because all the money is going into concrete. I’d really love to know how many millions have been spent in pouring concrete into our open spaces in the last few years. The depot is another sore point and has been going on for eons. Nothing happens even though residents have been screaming about this for ages.
I’m also in agreement with gleneira. This meeting will be nothing more than another exercise in futility by residents. What a council we’ve got ourselves.
June 13, 2011 at 4:47 PM
Waite is responsible for parks and gardens. Sack him!
June 13, 2011 at 7:00 PM
I cannot understand why Glen Eira needs a depot, except perhaps a place for the mulch. Haven’t all works been outsourced? Wouldn’t the contractor park their trucks (such as the waste collection trucks) on their own property rather than on Council parkland, or am I missing something?
June 15, 2011 at 12:33 PM
Understand C’field Park needs a small depot to service the Park to which very few permanent staff are assigned at any one time, but in the last few years this depot has been built up to now service most of Glen Eira after selling off Neerim Rd. There’s continuous traffic of trucks and heavy haulage vehicles and machinery coming and going from an entrance that has a ‘blind spot’ on one side when exiting into Inkerman Rd. On a recent walk had to allow a Petrogas tanker cross my path so what’s stored there? I think the house attached, once a baby welfare centre, is the headquarters for all parks & gardens activity. Its an industrial site and and eyesore in our premier park and should not continue in a residential area. Another site should be found in a suitable location. There have been many land sales in GE’s industrial areas where land could have been purchased with funds that could have been found with some very minor trimming of the GESAC budget.
June 13, 2011 at 8:00 PM
This budget is basically written to a formula with no deviation from the agendas set by an extravagant and profligate administration. Yes, I do sympathise with some of these councillors who now have to bear the brunt of the GESAC decision makers (Esakoff, Lipshutz and Tang) and will now have to try and pretend that this wasn’t the second worst decision in Glen Eira’s history (c60 being no.1). If residents are upset about rising costs, rising rates, and drop in services, then the finger should be pointed squarely at Newton and Lipshutz, Tang, and Esakoff. Magee is also not entirely blameless. GESAC will be the ruin of this council and the cracks are already showing.
June 15, 2011 at 1:54 PM
In fact David Feldman was the driving force that got the pool onto the agenda. Cr. Magee did not do much at all. No point in blaming him. Feldman had it on his agenda right from the start.
I am not sure if Magee was even on the council when the decision was made.
Maybe they should seek out Feldman and invite him to the opening.
June 13, 2011 at 9:13 PM
I’m training for a marathon in Caulfield Park. I twist my ankle on the concrete edging. I sue council for negligence for putting it there and for there being no lighting since they advertise this as a running track as well. Hey Mr. Risk Management and Mr Parks Man and Mr Engineer and Designer – which one of you idiots decided to spend megabucks on lumps of concrete. I’m just surprised that the concrete isn’t yellow so it could fit in with the rest of the concrete eating up all parks.
June 16, 2011 at 9:53 AM
It took five men to build this concrete barrier to nowhere – and two men to lift and lever each piece of concrete into place. Would be interesting to know what it cost. If they’d put the funds into improving the walking track you might have won the marathon, Smart Aleck, instead of perhaps breaking your neck. One shouldn’t joke about such waste but its beats crying at the stupidity of it.
June 13, 2011 at 10:48 PM
YOUR RATES AT WORK – comments from the Online Leader on GESAC –
Craig writes:
Posted on 10 Jun 11 at 10:07am
After complaining to the manager of the centre – and EVERY Councillor (only 2 of whom bothered to respond) – I was told that a foundation membership is around $1,600.
This gives access to the gym, pools, sauna etc – but it is around 60% higher than the same level of access at Waves in Chesterville Road ($980 per annum for everything).
We live in an age of disclosure, where prices are published (along with the explanation for them!) It is laughable that a $40 million dollar facility is being marketed and managed in such an outdated and dis-respectful manner. The marketing strategy shows no insight or contemporary techniques.
Consumers are not dumb! So what will council’s excuse be when sales fail to reach their target???
What will council’s excuse be when sales don’t meet budget?
Graeme Andrew writes:
Posted on 8 Jun 11 at 02:46pm
Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse. I was told [in no uncertain terms] at my meeting with a salesman “if you don’t sign now you wlll not get a second chance to become a foundation member. It’s right now or never”. I wanted comparison prices with other levels such as pool only, pensioner rates and so on. My appointment was one of the first, yet I’m still waiting to get a phone call back regarding individual rates. Another untruth! Citizens beware!
June 15, 2011 at 11:16 AM
Graeme, do shop around. Harold Holt pool offers $850 approx. with fortnightly debits – lower for pensioners. Fee iincludes everything = Hydrotherapy, spas, sauna, various group fitness classes, lockers, fully equipped health club, etc., etc. They also have a very clearly set out brochure explaining all costs and entitlements.
June 13, 2011 at 10:50 PM
Craig writes:
Posted on 10 Jun 11 at 10:07am
After complaining to the manager of the centre – and EVERY Councillor (only 2 of whom bothered to respond) – I was told that a foundation membership is around $1,600.
This gives access to the gym, pools, sauna etc – but it is around 60% higher than the same level of access at Waves in Chesterville Road ($980 per annum for everything).
We live in an age of disclosure, where prices are published (along with the explanation for them!) It is laughable that a $40 million dollar facility is being marketed and managed in such an outdated and dis-respectful manner. The marketing strategy shows no insight or contemporary techniques.
Consumers are not dumb! So what will council’s excuse be when sales fail to reach their target???
What will council’s excuse be when sales don’t meet budget?
Graeme Andrew writes:
Posted on 8 Jun 11 at 02:46pm
Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse. I was told [in no uncertain terms] at my meeting with a salesman “if you don’t sign now you wlll not get a second chance to become a foundation member. It’s right now or never”. I wanted comparison prices with other levels such as pool only, pensioner rates and so on. My appointment was one of the first, yet I’m still waiting to get a phone call back regarding individual rates. Another untruth! Citizens beware!