It is amazing how people interact with the Local Government. It is also amazing how
many decisions that are made at a State & Federal level have an impact at the local
level, and require understanding by the Ward Councillor.
Some of the more recent local issues that are humming away
this was withdrawn due to Occupational Health and safety, however it has been replaced by a mulching on site option. Simply call 9278 4444 and ask for the onsite mulcher to visit. An officer will come at an agreed time and chip/mulch your prunings and you have the mulch to put on your garden
the State Government wants to remove parking for shoppers in the Kew Junction. It will do this when it increases the clearway times extending from 9AM in the morning, until 10am, and in the afternoon from 3pm until 4.30pm. Residents, Shoppers and Boroondara Traders have made representations to Council against this proposal. The 9am to 10am slot, as well as the after school slot from 3 – 4.30pm are the most productive times of the day. Council has supported traders and shoppers by rejecting the proposal from the state government, having meetings with the Minister, and providing some $35,000 of support to the combined traders for their campaigns.
there are also major saftey issues for pedestrians, especially school children, because the state government clearway proposal plans to speed up traffic, and we have too many children in the Junction area to allow this to happen
and if you like a coffee "alfresco" on the footpath, well that won't have the same ambience when cars are going past at 60klms per hour.
Cr Healey rejects the governments clearway proposal and will continue to do so
with the opening of Eastlink exactly what residents and Council said would happen, has happened. People along the freeway are being driven out of their minds and out of their homes with the increased noise. The Minister must act to install noise abatement measures to the 63dba standard from Kew Gardens to Doncaster road on the Boroondara side. Cr Healey held a public meeting and formed a working group to tackle the issue. Sound measurements are being undertaken now to measure to the effects of the standard, and how poor it is. The Freeway noise committee will reconvene in November to review the result of the noise testing.
While the traffic is already heavy, the opening of Eastlink has cause new problems in the afternoon peak for Studley residents. Traffic now rat runs through the Studley park area making its way to Wills Street at the round about trying to get on to Eastlink. Officers will be collecting data in November with a view to proposing solutions to residents soon after that will keep commuter traffic out of residential streets.
A number of residents have contacted Clr Healey recently about how the pensioner rate rebate has fallen behind where it used to be. In a recent meeting Clr Healey was shown an example where the rebate used to be 40%, today it is little more than a token gesture. The Pensioner Rate Rebate is administered by the State. Cr Healey raised this issue in the Council meeting and Council decided unanimously to make this an issue for the MAV conference. The motion was supported and the MAV are now negotiating with the state government on restoring the Pensioner rate rebate to something real and meaningful.
We all love the Kew Festival and we all need to do a bit to make it happen. Have you some time and talent that you can offer to make a big difference? Then why not get touch with the Kew Festival Committee and help us run the festival.