With an extensive road network under council’s management and an important role to play in supporting other agencies in traffic and road management, last week was a very busy week for council crews.

I would like to thank the SES and the many volunteers who assisted during the week. SES volunteers are at the front line in flood situations.

In Wellington, the closure of the Renshaw McGirr Road and several other main roads in the district being cut at different times certainly caused significant disruption. Council staff also managed road closures on Bodangora Road, Cobbora Road and Bald Hill Road. 

While Dubbo was spared major traffic concerns as the predicted river peak was lower than expected and the Serisier Bridge remained open, there was disruption as council took precautions based on advice received and closed Bligh Street and the pedestrian and cycle paths and bridges along the Tracker Riley Cycleway.

Council staff have quickly turned to clean-up and repairs with the list including clearing debris from the Terrabella Bridge on the Little River and large accumulations of material from various causeways, filling road washouts on numerous creek crossings in the Geurie-Arthurville area and the Mumbil-Stuart Town area and urgent repairs have been carried out on bitumen and gravel road pavements across the council area.

I congratulate the council crews that have worked hard to be able to reopen as quickly as possible the most popular parts of the Tracker Riley Cycleway as quickly as possible and also for identifying hazards across the council area and rectifying them in a timely fashion.

This Wednesday in Wellington there will be an Ordinary Council meeting starting at 5.30pm. Among the important Agenda items is the Proposed Organics Processing Plan and Food and Garden Organics Collection Service. This is a service which the former Dubbo City Council had started considering as early as 1998 but since 2012 the proposal gained momentum and the former council secured a $3.26 million State Government grant toward the construction of a regional composting plant and nearly $850,000 in funding toward a kerbside food and garden organics collection service.

The merger of the former Dubbo City and Wellington councils has also effectively expanded the area that could potentially be serviced by this proposal. The recommendation to be considered at the Council meeting includes incorporating a pensioner rebate on the Domestic Waste Management Charge for an expanded service.

I encourage everyone interested to read the report and the results of the trial that was conducted to understand the reasoning behind the decision to be made.

While the rain has been tumbling down council is also investigating long term options that would secure water supply in times of severe drought. Council has placed draft route plans of a proposed future pipeline from Burrendong Dam to the John Gilbert Water Treatment Plant at Dubbo, via the Wellington Water Treatment Plant and Geurie on public exhibition for community comment. This process is another step in the planning process for such a pipeline to be considered sometime in the future. The draft route plans can be viewed at Council’s Administration Centres in Dubbo and Wellington, the Dubbo and Wellington Branch libraries, Geurie General Store and are available on Council’s website www.westernplains.nsw.gov.au. Submissions close August 26.

Michael Kniepp