Sky's Vic Park Newsletter #16: Millen Precinct, Repairs, and Rutland Ave again
This newsletter tell you how to get involved this month; summarises some of the decisions made in December, including arts season grants, work at Millen precinct, repairs to Lathlain Park Grandstand, and traffic calming on Rutland Ave; and talks about staying connected without billionaires.
Kaya!
January is mostly a break on council, so I’ve been focusing on some much-needed time with family, as well as thinking about my priorities for the year. I hope that you’ve managed to get some rest, and have found respite from the heat.
This newsletter covers:
Get involved!
Decisions made in December, including arts season grants, work at Millen precinct, repairs to Lathlain Park Grandstand, and traffic calming on Rutland Ave.
Deep dive: staying connected without billionaires.
Inspiration from elsewhere.
Get involved
Our annual budget shapes which projects go ahead, the services we offer, and our events. Take a few minutes to have your say on what we should prioritise: you can also make suggestions!
The 2025 Swan Stronger Communities Program is now open for expressions of interest. Eligible not-for-profits can get grants of $2,500 to $20,000 to undertake capital projects.
Not happy with plans for a Motorplex at Burswood Park? There’s a petition against it here.
The first ever Australian Extreme Heat Awareness Day is happening on February 5th, 2025. Take the hot quiz for cool people!
Enjoy Lunar New Year in Vic Park!
What happened in December?
This is a short summary of some key decisions from our December Ordinary Council Meeting. You can watch the full meeting recording here, or read the minutes here.
During public question time (page 15, approx. 29 min), members of the community came to ask about traffic calming on Rutland Ave; street parking on Hubert St; zoning changes in the Albany Highway Precinct Plan and the consultation process; polyphagous shot-hole borer; and upgrades to Etwell St.
During public statement time (page 17, approx. 54 min) Giles Graham, an urban planner, urged Council to reconsider the decision to pursue a two-way design on Rutland Avenue instead of the one-way design. Mr Graham argued that keeping Rutland as two-way facilitates rat-running, and noted that Council’s decision “prioritises the protection of a bottom-tier road over a top-tier active transport route” and that “A two-way design will cost significantly more; will require the removal of more vegetation; and will reduce the availability of land to plant replacement trees.” It “costs millions more and delivers a treeless, 10m-wide heat sink”.
Dave Knight expressed appreciation for Council staff, and noted concerns about limited tree planting in Harold Rossiter Reserve and Fraser Park, particularly where gaps in the canopy are forming due to dying or dead trees.
12.1 Arts Season 2025 Grants
Council unanimously endorsed the following grant applications for inclusion in the Arts Season Program in April 2025:
1. Public Art Sculpture Installation, artist talk and workshop;
2. The 2025 Victoria Park Writers’ Festival;
3. Superstition: Exhibition, shop, open studios and event.
4. The Vic Park Portrait Prize; and
5. Guided Street Art Tours.
13.1 Strategic Waste Management Plan
Cr Lindsay Miles moved to defer a decision on the draft in order to seek further clarification on questions related to the plan (for more detail, see pages 31-43, or 1hr 14). This passed unanimously.
13.3 Proposed Access Licence for Blackoak - Portion of 15 Hill View Terrace, East
Victoria Park
This gives Blackoak access to Town land to allow the adaptive heritage redevelopment of the Edward Millen precinct (pages 51 - 54), and passed unanimously.
13.5 Current works required for the Lathlain Park Grandstand
This transfers money budgeted for the Admin Centre car park gate and ground floor toilet modification over to be used for urgent structural repairs to the Lathlain Park Grandstand (pages 63 - 69, 1hr 22min). This passed unanimously.
13.7 Rutland Avenue - Lathlain - Traffic Calming
On 15th October 2024, Council requested a report on potential traffic calming measures for Rutland Avenue to address road safety concerns. This item (pages 82 to 92) produced that report, recommending Watts profile speed humps as Rutland Ave is too narrow to allow for single-lane slow points with a cyclist bypass. Staff noted that Council might consider the $70,000 in funding necessary to install these at the mid-year budget review.
I put forward an alternative motion (1hr 34min) calling for immediate installation of speed humps, given that we received a community petition calling for action in 2014; that this section of road poses significant safety risks for cyclists and pedestrians; and that Option 1 is recommended by staff as achieving the best balance between immediately addressing the risks posed by speeding drivers along Rutland Ave against retaining potential for future completion of either the Principal Shared Path or a separated cycle path along this stretch of road.
Mayor Vernon introduced an amendment to this motion, requiring consultation to gauge community sentiment and feedback on the proposed traffic calming treatment option 1 and its locations, with the item to come back to council “if the results of the engagement indicate sufficient community concerns about the adoption of option 1 including its location”.
While I usually favour public consultation, in this case I argued against Mayor Vernon’s amendment. I noted that when there are substantial safety risks, they should be addressed. We don’t consult drivers about whether they have concerns about adding a crossing guard on a busy road near a school, for example: we evaluate the potential risk and then take appropriate action. I also expressed concerns that another round of delays might lead to continued inaction, and eventually injuries or deaths along this dangerous section of road.
Mayor Vernon’s motion requiring consultation was passed, with Mayor Karen Vernon, Cr Claire Anderson, Deputy Mayor Bronwyn Ife, Cr Peter Melrosa and Cr Daniel Minson voting for, and Cr Sky Croeser, Cr Peter Devereux and Cr Lindsay Miles voting against.
The motion as amended was then further debated, and was passed with Cr Claire Anderson, Cr Sky Croeser, Cr Peter Devereux, Deputy Mayor Bronwyn Ife, Cr Peter Melrosa, Cr Lindsay Miles and Cr Daniel Minson voting for, and Mayor Karen Vernon voting against.
13.8 TVP 24/26 Edward Millen Park Project Tender
This item (pages 93 to 104) awarded the tender for the Edward Millen Park Project, which will develop green space and play areas around the buildings.
Deep Dive: staying connected without billionaires
As you’ve probably gathered, I believe that it’s important for people in the community to know what’s happening on council, and to have opportunities to engage. These days this often happens online, though our staff do try to send out letters, put up signs and posters, and run in-person consultations too.
Unfortunately, the most popular social media spaces are increasingly broken. They use our personal data for advertising (including targetted political advertising), shape which content we see - and don’t see - through algorithms, and spread hatred as well as misinformation. Given the whole situation in the US and the upcoming State and Federal elections in Australia, this is likely to get worse.
If you want to try out a space for connection that is run by communities instead of corporations, I suggest that you join me on Mastodon:
1) Choose a server. You can always move later! Feeling stuck? You could try out aus.social, bookstodon, climatejustice.social or sunny.garden.
2) Write a bit about yourself in your bio. This helps people decide whether or not to follow you back.
3) Find people to follow! You could start with me, and also look through your ‘local’ feed for people who seem interesting. Following hashtags is also helpful for finding people with the same interests as you. I like #3goodthings, #intro, #RepairCafe, #ClimateDiary, and #TownofVicPark.
Inspiration from elsewhere
I love learning about traffic evaporation, and Seoul’s work to shift a motorway into a stream is a beautiful example.
City of Vincent have a bike library! That seems like a great way to help people find the bike or trike that will work for them.
Lowering speed limits to 20 miles per hour (about 30km/hr, a much safer speed for pedestrians and cyclists) can also lower insurance premiums.
I’ve been loving the work of Swimmable Cities - their charter links regeneration of natural spaces with human health and wellbeing.
We are all connected
As always, I encourage you not to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenges we face. If you have money to spare, please consider donating to help others through an organisation like the UNRWA or WFP. You might also support climate justice through Groundswell. If you have time to spare, take action for human rights through an organisation like APAN or Rainbow Futures.
That's all folks!
Thanks for reading! As always, I encourage you to get in touch if there's anything you want to ask about or discuss.
best wishes,
sky.
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