If you ask the Council, or the councillors that question, they will say its because the pool has been removed to make way for the new one.
But now we learn via the Council's "Insight" publication that they still don't have a builder or a contract let for the new pool. The job, originally put out for tender four months ago, is being re-tendered. Why? "For a number of reasons," is the explanation. Not much 'insight' there.
Council is "hopeful" the new pool will be open in time for next summer in November 2015.
Why didn't they leave the existing pool in place until they had a contractor ready to install the new one? We may now see a situation where we have to endure a hot, dry Bridgetown summer with an empty construction site where there used to be a beautiful pool, and little or no work happening on a new one. I personally find it hard to believe the project could not be completed in the nine months between April and December.
If this is bungled and families like mine are left without a public swimming pool for two summers, I reckon there will be hell to pay.
Monday 20 October 2014
Wednesday 1 October 2014
Hello?...hello? Is anybody listening?
Lotterywest must have run out of good causes. The charities which care for the sick, the homeless the poor and the disadvantaged must all have full coffers.
The local paper reports the Bridgetown-Greenbushes Shire has accepted a $16,900 grant to install wireless audio equipment in the Shire chamber so that those in the public gallery (especially the hearing impared) may be better able to hear the Standing Committee and Council meetings.
Please note there is already a speaker system in place in the chamber which amplifies the sound.
The problem is, nobody is listening. In the past six months there has been eleven meetings held where the public gallery was open. At seven of those meetings, not a single person turned up to the public gallery. At three, there was one person in attendance. At one meeting, a bumper crowd of nine turned up.
And you can understand why. Who would bother attending when most meetings are over in less than an hour and there is no debate, just a group of people getting paid to rubber-stamp every item put forward by the staff.
The new audio equipment will ensure that if anyone does drift in out of idle curiosity, they will not miss a word of the monotonous repetition; "Those in favour?..... those against?... the motion is carried, unanimously."
With this sort of waste and indulgence, it's no wonder there are calls to amalgamate Councils.
The local paper reports the Bridgetown-Greenbushes Shire has accepted a $16,900 grant to install wireless audio equipment in the Shire chamber so that those in the public gallery (especially the hearing impared) may be better able to hear the Standing Committee and Council meetings.
Please note there is already a speaker system in place in the chamber which amplifies the sound.
The problem is, nobody is listening. In the past six months there has been eleven meetings held where the public gallery was open. At seven of those meetings, not a single person turned up to the public gallery. At three, there was one person in attendance. At one meeting, a bumper crowd of nine turned up.
And you can understand why. Who would bother attending when most meetings are over in less than an hour and there is no debate, just a group of people getting paid to rubber-stamp every item put forward by the staff.
The new audio equipment will ensure that if anyone does drift in out of idle curiosity, they will not miss a word of the monotonous repetition; "Those in favour?..... those against?... the motion is carried, unanimously."
With this sort of waste and indulgence, it's no wonder there are calls to amalgamate Councils.
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