MINUTES FOR THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Date:  4/5/ 2005

 

PRESENT:        Paul & Marilyn Grebert, Pauline Dawes, Karan & Graeme Morrison, Neil Harris, Steve Bott, Jo Thompson, Ray Sheehan, Rob Linnehan

 

APOLOGIES:        Les Dawes, David Carter, Megan Hutchinson,

 

MEETING COMMENCED AT             7.15pm

 

 

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

 

Corrections made to published minutes, updated minutes presented to meeting.

 

MOVED:     Jo Thompson                         SECONDED:                        Marilyn Grebert

That the minutes be accepted

 

BUSINESS ARISING

 

None

 

CORRESPONDENCE IN

 

Council                        Minutes from Council Meeting Tuesday 26^th April 2005

 

CORRESPONDENCE OUT

 

Thank you letter to Council Members for facilitating a meeting re: traffic in Albion Park

 

MOVED: Paul Grebert                          SECONDED:                        Ray Sheehan

That the correspondence be accepted

 

FINANCIAL REPORT

 

No financial report.

 

MOVED:                                SECONDED:                       

That the treasurer’s report be accepted

 

GENERAL BUSINESS

 

Traffic Meeting with Shellharbour Council

Meeting with Max, Luke, Arthur, Neil Harris, David Carter, Paul Grebert, Pauline Dawes

Meeting was to establish Councils plans for traffic and street scape for Albion Park.

A meeting will be organised to address the business community re: traffic movement and future plans.

 

Report from the meeting is attached.

 

Report was read by Neil.

 

The chamber is to sponsor a meeting with Council, RTA the business community, Matt Brown and the general public within the next 4 weeks to discuss traffic future in Albion Park.

 

Neil suggested that a media release be done about the meeting.

 

Dates suggested for the meetings are Monday Nights 23^rd, 30^th May. 7pm start.  Albion Park Community Centre.  Council to be consulted about dates. 

 

Neil moved            Graeme seconded

 

Jo bought along bank details to change accounts over. 

 

She suggested investing some of our funds on short term deposits. 

 

There are no bank charges for Community Support accounts.  Internet banking is available for viewing only. Account can run a cheque account.  Community Support account get an extra 0.25% interest on top of the term deposit interest.  

 

Jo collected Paul Grebert’s, Graeme Morrisons signatures.  She will organise to get David Carter’s and Megan Hutchinsons.  An account will be opened.  Community Support Account has sub accounts – different accounts can be set up for different purposes.  Account to be set up with 2 signatures and other signatures to be collected.

 

Action sheet was discussed and checked off.

 

1.                  Action sheet was produced with the minutes and sent out

2.                  Neil Greg was contacted and a meeting held

3.                  Contact Neville Fredricks re $20k – Neville emailed Paul and is was discussed at the council meeting

4.                  Letter to council – a discussion was had at council meeting

5.                  Round table conference was held with council

6.                  Main Street Small Town Funding was replied to

7.                  Committee Contact List – list is made – who will store it?

8.                  Sect 94 plans – in progress

9.                  Accounts to be moved this month to Horizon Credit Union

10.             Selection committee was discussed but not formed

11.             Purchase APCC date stamp – Ray will organise this.  A common seal is no longer needed.

 

Coordinators Position

Neil handed around a report on what is required to be done to facilitate the coordinators position.

 

·        Outline of the project – which was successful

·        Funding agreement was signed which includes the conditions under which the funding is organised

·        Suggested  structure for the Management of the position

·        Suggested monthly meeting schedule for the Coordinator and Management committee

·        Selection committee needs to be established. Louise Conibear from Dept State and Regional Development is required to be on the committee.

·        Job description for the position.  Put together with the help of Jenny De Greenlaw, 

 

Still waiting on confirmation of the extra $25000.00

 

Funding over 2 years of $75000.00 has been promised.

 

Neil listed items that need to be done before the position can be advertised -

·        Financial report from David for the last amount of funding

·        Waiting for confirmation of the Federal Funding ($25000.00) to release the State Funding.  Contact Joanna Gash and Jenny George.

 

Megan, Neil and Paul are interested in going on the selection panel.

 

The Chamber formally acknowledged Neil’s tireless work in applying for funding and thanked him for his efforts.

 

Marilyn would like to raise at the public traffic meeting that Council look at other small country towns on alternatives to a medium strip and potential fence.  Maybe 50k Speed limit

 

Greame would like to see Albion Park twinned with another country town overseas. 

 

Steve Bott mentioned the rise in crime in AP.  Calder’s Mixed Business, 2 ram raids, chemist had an armed hold-up, and Community Centre has been broken into, Eagle Boys Pizza.  He is concerned about this.  It was suggested that a meeting be held with the Police regarding this element. The Police and the Lake Times may will be invited to the next Chamber Meeting.    The businesses that have experienced crime recently will be invited to the next Chamber meeting.  Graeme to write the letters.

 

Steve also mentioned that after every meeting between the Council and APCC we have a visit from the parking police within the next week.

 

Graeme mentioned that there had been no further response from Police following the hold up at Albion Park Post Office.

 

Neil suggested that Chamber members research how some other small towns deal with crime of this nature. 

 

A list of concerns will be drawn up to discuss with the police at the next meeting.

 

Ray would like to see some publicity in the Lake Times/Mercury/Advertiser about what we do as a Chamber.  He also mentioned that if we have regular items in the newspaper we can agitate important matters easier.  Ray would like to do a media release following each meeting to raise our profile with the community.  Neil suggested that we place some information on the Shellharbour Councils Community page.

 

Paul will put together a media release about the meeting with the Police and community for July.

 

Paul said that the Secretary needs to send a letter to Shellharbour Council with a current listing of Members.

 

Ray moved that Megan be elected to be the front person for the Chamber and be interview by the media.  Seconded by Paul.  Carried.

 

MEETING CLOSED                         at 8.20pm.

 

NEXT MEETING                        7 June 2005 at 7.00pm at RSL

 

Action Sheet

 

 

MINUTES OF MEETING

Between Albion Park Chamber of Commerce

and Shellharbour City Council

 held on 20  April 2005, 10.00am

 

 

Present: Paul Grebert, David Carter, Neil Harris, Pauline Dawes (APCC)

                        Arthur Webster, Max Boenisch Luke Preston (SCC)

 

General

Business: Paul Grebert (PG) explained that the reason for the meeting was for APCC to gain a better understanding of what council proposed for Albion Park CBD and the likely timing of commencement of the various projects.  APCC could act as a conduit to explain the changes to locals, property owners and business owners.

                       

                        Max Boenisch (MB) gave a brief overview of what has happened to date and that the last streetscape committee meeting was held on 21 August 2003. He advised that at that meeting:

1.      The committee requested that underground power be provided for in the new works to undertaken.

2.      Samples of the proposed finish were provided to Megan Hutchison to discuss with property and business owners

3.      Megan agreed to approach property owners regarding their contribution to paving their property.

 

MB further advised that the delay in progressing the works was due to Integral Energy not being interested in providing a plan and that quotes were requested from Picton Power who were slow in responding and that council then had to have Integral Energy sign off on the plan.

 

Now that RTA has approved a median strip for Tongarra Road which will require widening of the road to provide 4 x 3.2 metre traffic lanes and a 1.2 metre median strip. Before work commences on the northern side footpath, council is waiting on a report as to whether there is any benefit in moving the northern side kerb to widen the road. This may reduce the overall cost if it avoids the requirement to move services on the southern footpath. MB advised that this is doubtful, in which case, work should begin on the northern side in June or July 2005.

 

Median strip and associate street widening is expected to cost $500,000. Approximately $250,000 of this is to move the optic fibre cable. Council is seeking funds from RTA to assist. Councils may be able to use some S.94 funds to assist in the project. The current S.94 plan has funds set aside for Tripoli Way by-pass, however, council’s new plan is to transfer these funds to Tongarra Road, which may enable an upgrade between proposed Tullimbah Estate and Stapleton Street.

 

Arthur Webster (AW) advised that Council acknowledged that an independent traffic study was required for Albion Park and that Miltonbrook had undertaken to contribute $20,000 to assist with the study.

 

Council currently has $339,326 allocated for Tongarra Road streetscape with an amount of $136,000 to be allocated in the draft 2005/06 budget. If approved, this will provide $575, 326 for the project. (This after existing work has been carried out.)

 

Luke Preston (LP) advised that council believed that the median strips restricting right turns from Tongarra Road between Terry and Russell Streets would improve traffic flow and avoid the requirement to increase parking restrictions in the main street. Council believes that based on estimated growth, further restriction should not be necessary for between 5 to 8 years.

 

As previously mentioned, the median strip is to be partly funded by RTA. Funds would have to be allocated in the next budget so work would not be expected to commence before November 2005.

 

APCC asked about connection of underground power. SCC advised that cost could be $550,000 and that this will not happen for some time, but there will be no need to dig up the footpath to pull cable through. Council will install conduits to properties but the property owners will be required to pay the actual cost of connection of their property to underground power.

 

Integral Energy has an Environment Enhancement Fund which they use to provide underground power. Council estimates there may be $450,000 - $750,000 in the fund which is to cover Integral Energy’s entire area.

 

APCC asked if council could pay for footpath enhancement up to buildings, or if arrangements could be made for property owners to be levied for the cost over a number of years. AW advised that the Local Government Act prohibited council from using ratepayers’ money to fund work on private property.

 

The matter of costing for the private property portion of the footpath enhancement was raised and, in particular, the cost of the trees. MB advised council used Cordells to estimate the costs of this work and that the Streetscape Committee had previously requested mature trees and that these could not be planted on the footpath due to underground services.  Further, the property