A new Brimbank community group has been set up to try and make Brimbank better.
The Brimbank Progress Association is the brainchild of former Brimbank mayor Bruce Lancashire and well known community members Richard Carthew and Neil Hunichen.
The pair ran the Brimbank Bicycle Education Centre and are members of the Friends of yaluk barring (formerly Sydenham Park).
The trio believes that good communication between the community and council is essential in making the municipality better.
“This can be achieved by ensuring the community’s issues and ideas can be raised and discussed in the appropriate forums,” they said.
“Good democracy and high performing organisations can only be achieved with open and frank communication with the community.”
The group said they felt there had been increased difficulty in communicating with the council which had left residents frustrated.
The association has already raised a number of issues and ideas in consultation with the community and local members of parliament.
The first was requesting to open the boom gate next to the golf course clubrooms so the public can get access to yaluk barring park.
“This is the council’s largest park, yet access to the newly constructed playground at the northern end of this incredible tourism and conservation precinct is restricted,” they said.
“Access through this gate is provided to members of the Model Aircraft Club but not to the general community. This forces park users to walk several hundred metres in the hot sun just to get to the playground.”
The council said at the last meeting, the gate was installed to restrict public access to protect the community from golf balls.
The association is also suggesting that the existing council depots in Sunshine and Tullamarine be sold and a new depot be constructed at Energy Park in Albion to help decrease council debt.
“The federal government has provided $500,000 for Energy Park. This would pay for the necessary design and approvals of the new depot at Energy Park.
“Given that Energy Park, the site of a toxic waste dump, has direct access via a signalised intersection off Ballarat Road this would make an excellent location for a new consolidated depot.”
The group is keen to hear about issues and ideas from the community.
Details: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2112681709164000
