Cr Paul Amos asks for loan update for $81m Cultural and Civic Space

“I see no reason why this shouldn’t have happened already.” Cr Paul Amos questions loan process for $81m Cultural and Civic Space.

A loan has not yet been secured for the $81m Cultural and Civic Space.

Coffs Harbour City Councillor Paul Amos says he is “not worried” about it, but:

“I just thought it would have been best practice to have lined this up before the job was started.

“I see no reason why this shouldn’t have happened already in the timetable of construction.”

It is another packed agenda at this week’s Coffs Harbour City Council meeting.

And Cr Amos has his fair share of questions for senior staff including the query about the CCS loan.

Cr Paul Amos.

Has a lender come forward for the Cultural and Civic Space?

The total cost of the project is now expected to be $81.27 million with funds coming from grants, the sale of council properties and borrowings.

Cr Amos has asked for an update on the loan negotiations with lenders and if it will be funded by T-Corp.

He also wants to know what the total amount of borrowing will be, the terms of the loan, and if negotiations have been finalised or not.

The following answer was given:

Calls to lock in a location for a new tip

The Englands Road facility is running out of space and Cr Amos is not the only Councillor concerned about the region’s growing waste crisis.

As the facility rapidly reaches its use-by date, Council continues to pay in the order of $70,000 a week to truck rubbish to Tamworth and has forked out around $1m in legal fees fighting a dispute over a waste contract.

Englands Road rubbish tip at Coffs Harbour.

But as the various parties battle it out, Cr Amos wants to see some solid action on picking a location for a new tip.

“It would be a short-term option until we reach the long term solution of transferring waste into energy.”

As a “starting point” he has raised the following motion:

“That Council make immediate representation to the NSW State Government seeking support to identify a suitable site and apply for the relevant approvals in State Forest land to the west of Coffs Harbour to establish a new, short term, tip site.

“This site would aspire to serve Coffs Harbour from years 2027- 2040 with new technology anticipated to be applied and the State Forest site retired at this time.”

Cr Amos did not have a particular patch of land in mind but said the motion was his attempt to get some solid action on the issue.

“To my mind there has been no solid commitment to finding a new tip site.”

Live recordings too hard to find

Cr Amos has also asked that live recordings from council meetings are placed on the official website in a clear and timely manner.

Coffs Harbour City Council meetings are longer than the NSW State average.

He says he’s searched for the recordings, which staff assure him are placed on the website the day after each meeting, but has often struggled to find them.

“I have searched the site on Friday afternoon and on occasions I’m sure they haven’t been put up - but maybe they have, and that’s part of the problem, is that it’s so hard to navigate.

“There needs to be a button on the homepage saying ‘click here to see the latest meeting’ or something like that.”

A staff comment in relation to these concerns states that:

“Following changes to public access arrangements, amendments have been recently made to Council‘s corporate website to simplify the information on how to access both live and previous meeting recordings.

“Further links can be provided through social media posts related to the meeting and with the addition of a news story in Council‘s newsroom site, linked to Council’s website homepage, to advise that the latest meeting recording is available to the public.”