Copacabana Community Association public meeting calls for funding boost
IN the same week Copacabana Community Association told Central Coast Council it was tired of being treated like the “poor cousin” of Terrigal and Avoca Beach, council has announced a huge spend up in Terrigal.
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IN the same week Copacabana Community Association told Central Coast Council it was tired of being treated like the “poor cousin” of Terrigal and Avoca Beach, council has announced a $2.2 million spend up in Terrigal.
The decision is likely to enrage the association which held a public meeting on Thursday night to beg council to finally spend money on new facilities in their suburb.
More than 100 people packed the local surf club for the meeting which was attended by Central Coast Council mayor Jane Smith and councillors Jeff Sundstrom and Rebecca Gale Collins.
Association president Steven Boucher said there was a “fair degree of frustration” among residents.
“We have perhaps been the poor cousins to our more illustrious neighbours Avoca and Terrigal in terms of council spending,” Mr Bouncher said.
The association outlined five key projects it wanted council to fund and support.
■ Improvements to Copacabana foreshore
■ Significant improvements of Susan Fahey Park
■ Creation of a men’s shed
■ Upgrading of major local road, Del Monte Place
■ A walkway and boardwalk around Chonchrone Lagoon.
One by one community association members outlined their projects to the mayor and councillors, but high on the list of priorities was a revamp of the suburb’s rundown foreshore.
Secretary Ross Pearce said the community had been waiting more than a decade for improvements to the foreshore including barbecues, shelters and seating around the surf club, shelters on the village green, an upgrade of the area at the whale watching platform and proper pathways right along the foreshore from the surf club to the lagoon.
He said the improvements had been included in council’s own 2014 masterplan for the suburb, but had never been actioned due to concerns about indigenous archaeological sites along the foreshore.
He called on council to commit to funding an Aboriginal Heritage Study which would help resolve the issue and allow progress on revamping the foreshore.
Another key issue was public safety in Del Monte Place between Segura Street and Captain Cook lookout — used by thousands of people during whale watching season and for the annual 5 lands Walk.
The association said the road was narrow with no footpaths but was heavily used, including school buses.
Mayor Jane Smith told the gathering that while she could not personally commit council to any of the requests, she said she would take the issues back to council.
She said a number of the projects had merit or were exciting and worth exploring but all spending had to be consistent with the objectives of councils 10 year plan for the region.
WHAT HAPPENED AT TERRIGAL
A series of public forums will start soon to work out how to spend more than $2.2m in State Government funding in Terrigal CBD.
Among projects likely to go ahead are the installation of smart parking sensors and smartphone app that drivers can use to find their closest available parking space, worth $114,000.
Improvements to parking generally are also likely.
Mayor Jane Smith said as Terrigal continued to grow Council would work to enhance the area through delivery of major infrastructure and urban design projects.
“Throughout February, Council will provide information to the community and seek feedback on key projects including changes to traffic flow through the Terrigal CBD and the installation of the smart parking sensors,” she said.
Information sessions will be held on Monday 26 February and Wednesday 28 February from 6.30pm — 8.30pm at Terrigal Surf Club.
Detail about the plans and projects planned for Terrigal can be found at www.yourvoiceourcoast.com
Community feedback is open until 2 March, 2018.