Clover's eNews—Friday, 2 September 2005—No. 262AQUATIC STRATEGY SHOWS WAY FORWARDFollowing a review of existing facilities, Council adopted an Aquatic and Leisure Facility Development Strategy last week to guide development of new and upgraded facilities. There is a large gap in pool and leisure facilities in the south of the local government area, and the City has agreed to build a multi purpose centre with wet and dry recreational areas. Council will carry out a feasibility study on Council-owned land at 132-138 and 140 Joynton Ave, Zetland, the site of the former South Sydney City Council Administration offices. We will be widely consulting with the community during the study and I encourage you to participate. Prince Alfred Park pool also needs urgent work. In line with the Aquatic Strategy, the draft Plan of Management for the entire park, which is currently on public exhibition, proposes an upgraded pool complex. An upgraded 50 metre pool, toddler pool and program facilities are proposed on the current pool site. New amenities, including a café, change rooms and a small community room, will be built closer to Chalmers Street to create extra open green space in the park. Construction of the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre at Ultimo is also well underway; Victoria Park Pool is undergoing extensive refurbishment; and the Cook+Phillip Park Aquatic & Fitness Centre is receiving minor maintenance and upgrades. A $10 million renovation of the magnificent Andrew “Boy” Carlton Pool was completed in 2002. In response to requests to extend the season to take advantage of the stunning location, I have asked for a report come to Council on a trial for an extra month at either end of the current season. Council will also consider the viability and cost of a rollout pool cover to reduce evaporation and improve heat retention. The full strategy will soon be available on the City of Sydney website: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au. YOUR SAY ON CENTENNIAL PARK PLANThe Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust have put a draft Plan of Management on exhibition until Wednesday 28 September, and I encourage community members to make written submissions. The parklands provide open space, green “lungs”, along with passive and active recreation. I am concerned that:
An information session will be held 12.00 noon to 3.00pm Sunday 4 September near the Shelter Pavilion in Centennial Park. Contact the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust:
MENTAL HEALTH IMPROVEMENT BEGINSWork started this week on a new Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre at St Vincent’s Hospital, which will provide better mental health services. I attended with the Minister for Health to officially launch the work. After I raised concerns about the need for better mental health services, the former Minister for Health promised a new Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC) next to the main Emergency at St Vincent’s Hospital, with $1.5 million recurrent funding. St Vincent’s Mental Health Service has been overloaded and unable to provide proper crisis or case management services. The PECC will provide six beds where patients can stay for 48 to 72 hours, for observation, medication and stabilisation. The new PECC will mean that people with a mental illness will not have to wait in the main Emergency Department for assessment. Police bring two thirds of St Vincent’s psychiatric admissions and the new PECC will provide faster assessment of people who are in crisis and need immediate care. This is a welcome addition to the current services, which have been struggling to meet demand, however I will continue to press the Government to bring forward redevelopment and expanding the Caritas inpatient facility, which is planned to be funded in 2011/2012. Caritas is always full, with a 95% occupancy rate, demand for psychiatric beds has been increasing, and people in crisis cannot get urgent help when they need it. The former Minister promised to investigate expanding the new facility to provide 40 beds, up from the current 27. The Mental Health Service will employ two new Clinical Nurse Consultants to work with General Practitioners and homelessness service providers to prevent crisis for people who have been discharged but need ongoing support with their illness. Recent incidents have highlighted the need for better services, and the new PECC is a valuable first step. FOLEY PARK PLAN READY FOR ADOPTIONThe exhibition of the draft Plan of Management for Foley Park in Glebe is almost complete and will be considered for adoption by the City’s Environment and Heritage Committee next Monday, 5 September 2005. Foley Park is the main public space in Glebe, on the corner of Glebe Pont Road and Bridge Road. Proposals to upgrade the park, developed with the local community, will greatly improve access and create more useable open space. I am pleased that the plan retains and interprets the heritage values of the park and protects established trees. Better lighting will also improve safety. It is proposed that the children’s play area be moved away from the street. The repositioning of some facilities and the simple park design will open up the space and allow occasional organised community use of the park. Once adopted by Council, detailed design of the upgrade will go ahead. This year’s Council budget includes $200,000, with a further $2 million allocated over the next two years. I thank everyone who participated in the community workshops and questionnaires and I look forward to seeing the work commence once the final design detailing is finished. Further information:
BLIGH OFFICE STAFFINGI welcome Colin Menzies as my new Policy Officer in the Bligh Electorate Office. Colin will work on urban environment matters, and assist me in Parliament. Thank you to my former staffer Felicity Calvert who is now working in the Department of Environment and Conservation. The Bligh office has a steady stream of volunteers and interns who learn about policy and Parliament while helping in my office. I thank the following people for their volunteer contributions:
EVENT ALERT!
WWW.CLOVERMOORE.COMClover's eNews is a regular update to keep the community informed on important issues, events and campaigns. To join the free email subscription list, email clover@clovermoore.com with SUBSCRIBE eNEWS in the subject and your name, email address and suburb in the body of the email. You can also subscribe here on line. — Clover Moore, Independent Member for Bligh |
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