Managing the city's infrastructure
by Samantha 1:32pm, 4 February 2008
You will need to login
or sign up to do that
Newcastle has hundreds of kilometres of roads and footpaths, thousands of kilometres of stormwater drains and over 500 buildings. What would you like to see Council achieve in this area over the next 18 months?
This discussion topic is closed. You can still review the discussion but it will no longer accept comments or votes.
Relates to website: http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/in_council/council_works
blakey Comment 1
7:59pm, 6 February 2008
8
2 
More cycleways that are seperated from the traffic. See my comment under the 'favourite facility' topic. These need to connect into the foreshore/honeysuckle cycleway and the Fernleigh track to build a network.
Reformer Comment 1.1
5:44am, 26 March 2008
1
1
blakey,
the first step in getting cycleways and other infrastructure in Newcastle is to identify budget savings for the Council staff and Councillors. go to http://www.ncc.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/29666/Budget_Parameters.pdf
and see the budget guidelines and ask other business people whether they think it is correct to simply assume that the Council can raise prices without some fiscal rectitude. Look at some of the spending on http://www.ncc.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/25701/Statutory_Annual_Report__2006_2007_-_Final.pdf
and compare this with other councils like Lake Macquarie, with a larger population. Then explain to the Council Ways to cut costs (eg Legal Fees) and to spend more money on cycleways. Please post the finding of your research. As a hint, look at the Baths Refurbishment budget of $2,979,738 on Page 14 of the 2007 annual report and ask why the cost now exceeds $4.8 million and the job is unfinished. Take a look at the baths and see what I mean.
Philip Comment 2
9:42am, 14 February 2008
7
1
The Council could make much better use of the available funds if it managed better, cut down on overheads, and focused on doing things rather than planning and talking about them. Countless new staff have been/are being recruited but very few of these have been workers to actually produce infrastructure. They're mostly planners, managers and admin staff.
Reformer Comment 2.1
12:54pm, 19 March 2008
5
1
Philip, the real problem is that the Council administration (and most of the Local Government Sector) has been out of touch with the outside community for decades. So they don't recognise the problem.
Proper reform will only come from a Minister and department willing to confront the issue.
alanm Comment 3
6:50pm, 15 February 2008
5
0
The mall needs a complete rethink but dont just give it to a big developer to build a giant mall there would be traffic chaos and the city needs a real heart,
Bigfeller Comment 3.1
6:22pm, 20 March 2008
2
2
The best developers are the people of Newcastle. Not blow ins who do their project and cart our money away.
To encourage development we need people and activity. The first step is to give the joint a bath!!!! The Mall is pure filth, the paving shot, the trees a nightmare and the dirt and grime beyond belief.
Step one of getting the CBD of this great city on track is to steam clean the place, remove the damaged buildings, structures and turn on the lights!!!
admin Comment 4
4:56pm, 21 February 2008
3
0
COMMENT BY kotaranana (Posted to wrong area)
My children grew up with all the concrete maps of the world in the bottom of the pool and competed to see if they could swim from country to country. I do realise these slabs broke up in the earthquake and had to be removed for safety reasons, but are there any plans to return the pool to it's former glory.
Samantha Comment 4.1
Project Coordinator
9:16am, 26 February 2008
3
1
Unfortunately most of the concrete "map of the world" in the canoe pool next to Newcastle Baths was removed in 1970s for health and safety reasons. Many Novocastrians have fond memories of the unique installation but Council has no plans to restore it as it would be expensive and require much more stringent health and safety conditions.
Bigfeller Comment 4.1.1
6:38pm, 20 March 2008
0
3
Well how do you like that answer for total negativity! Step one ,,,replace all the "can't do" people in Council with can do people. Step 2 Clean up the site including that wall partly patched by the "cant dos" for about $5m (when a brand new replica could have been built and in use by now for $4.6m)and the existing pools and build a new pool complex with the funds wasted by the "cant do,s".
Step 3 let the kids play and swim next summer!!!! (afterall it is a canoe pool not the Panama Cannal!)