‘No excuse for vitriol’: Cr shocked by personal attacks

“I must say I was shocked at some of the personal nature of the attacks. “

montage proposed cultural civic space. 22 July 2019

As a crucial vote looms on the next stage of the Cultural and Civic Space the rage is once again palpable.

From the Advocate, Nov 2019: ‘The rage is palpable’: Cultural Centre back on the agenda

This time Coffs Harbour City Councillors are considering the tenders for the design and construction of the Gordon Street project estimated to cost $76.5m.

Three questions were posed to Councillors on social media with Cr Townley one of the only ones to respond in the open forum.

Deputy Mayor George Cecato has consistently supported the project but MP Gurmesh Singh has called for a rethink.

The Advocate understands other Crs may have responded by email or direct conversations but according to Cr Townley the backlash she has received amounts to abuse and she says it’s getting more prevalent.

“I must say I was shocked at some of the personal nature of the attacks. I recognise there are lots of opinions, but there is no excuse for vitriol,” Dr Townley said.

She offered to meet personally with one detractor on a Sunday afternoon to talk through the project and the costings, but even this was later slammed on Facebook as an attempt to cover up information.

“On the plus side, lots of people have contacted me privately to say they don‘t condone the abuse.

“Even some people who don’t support the project have let me know they think it’s inappropriate. The sad thing is that now anyone in public life must expect that total strangers, who have never met you or spoken with you will feel free to abuse you on Facebook.

“It’s a definite downside and unfortunately getting more prevalent.”

Councillor Sally Townley with anti-Cultural and Civic Space protester George Partos.

The questions posed to all Crs dealt mainly with the potential cost overruns and resulting debts incurred particularly in light of the difficulty in selling Council-owned properties to fund the building.

RELATED:New offer on the table for museum

“Building costs have certainly risen since the cost estimates were derived and lots of details are now more known than they were then. Personally, I think if the cost overrun is more than 10 per cent, (for the build contract) for me that would be a trigger,” Dr Townley outlined in her answers.

Lipman Pty Ltd have already provided Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) for the Cultural and Civic Space and have now sought tenders from the construction market based on the 80 per cent detailed design.

RELATED:Early build contractor appointed for Cultural & Civic Space

In relation to loans and concerns ratepayers will be saddled with debt Dr Townley said:

“As Council pays down its current loan liabilities (around $230,), loan costs will reduce from these other major loans (finished sometime after 2030). So to borrow the money (as is usual procedure for large infrastructure projects) will see an increase in total liability for about three years, then reducing as other infrastructure loans are paid down and ultimately paid out.”

The children's library area in the proposed Cultural and Civic Space.

Dr Townley has also found herself under scrutiny about her attendance at this week’s meeting. She has a prior work commitment so will appear via an online link.

She has defended this as perfectly lawful but others have vowed to take it up with the Office of Local Government to question the procedure.

Council is currently looking at COVID-safe solutions for the public gallery with a view to having them come into effect in March.

With votes tied four/four on a number of occasions in relation to the project those opposed are hoping Dr Townley will tip the balance.

Those who have consistently voted to progress with the building are Crs Denise Knight, George Cecato, Sally Townley and Michael Adendorff and those against, or urging some kind of rethink, are Crs Tegan Swan, Paul Amos, Keith Rhoades and John Arkan.