Sky's Vic Park Newsletter #6: behind the scenes at council, April council decisions, and more about Rutland Ave
Kaya!
I hope that you’re all well and enjoying the shift into cooler weather that comes with Djeran. Things continue to be busy on council as we go through the process of planning for the next financial year.
This newsletter will cover:
The departure of our CEO;
Some misunderstandings about the Rutland Ave bike path;
Decisions from the April Council Meeting;
Getting involved; and
Inspirations from elsewhere.
Behind the scenes
A sad farewell to our CEO, Anthony Vuleta
In my short time on council, it’s been clear that Anthony Vuleta has provided incredibly competent, inclusive, and thoughtful leadership. He’s now moving on to Kalamunda council, which will be wonderful for them but a sad loss for Victoria Park.
Council only has one employee - the CEO - who then manages the Town staff. The CEO plays a crucial role not only in the operations of the Town, but also in bridging the connection between council and Town staff, and in building relationships between the Town and other sections of government. And probably much more that I’ve yet to learn about!
It’s expected that recruiting a new CEO will take about six months. At the special council meeting of 30th April, council agreed to appoint Town Chief Financial Officer Duncan Olde as Acting CEO for the first three months, after which Chief Community Planner Natalie Martin Goode will share the role with Manager Place Planning, David Doy.
What’s happening with the Rutland Ave Bike Path?
As I noted in my last newsletter, there is currently considerable community engagement around the completion of the Principal Shared Path (PSP) on Rutland Ave. I have been receiving several emails a day related to this.
I’m aware that a leaflet was distributed to the community about the PSP, and unfortunately it included some inaccuracies.
The first of these inaccuracies is that the completion of the PSP is fully funded by the State. While it is true that the State government is responsible for funding the PSP, this funding is not infinite. It is likely to cover most of the cost for the version of the PSP which is proposed to replace one lane of Rutlane Ave, but not the cost of completing the PSP while retaining both lanes of Rutland Ave (which would cost several million dollars more). This funding may eventually become available, but is not currently promised.
The second inaccuracy is that retaining both lanes of Rutland Ave will ensure that local kids can safely walk and cycle to school. Given the state government has set increased density targets, we are likely to see higher traffic levels throughout the Town unless we can find ways to encourage more use of walking, rolling, cycling, and public transport. One way to do this is to support safer infrastructure for active transport, both through completion of key cycle routes and through measures to manage traffic through local roads.
At this stage we’re still waiting on further information from Town planners about traffic management if we remove one lane of Rutland Ave. No decision has been made yet.
Recent Decisions: the April Ordinary Council Meeting
April's Ordinary Council Meeting was a long one! The meeting minutes and full recording is available online, but here are a few of the points I found interesting:
We had an excellent statement from a member of the public urging the town to look at Streets Alive funding for exploring lowered speed limits. In response our CEO Anthony Vuleta gave an overview of some of the discussions that a group of inner city council are already having about lowering speed limits (at 13 min in on the recording).
The council voted to recommend not approving the proposed apartment development for Banks St in Item 12.3, on the basis of serious concerns including those related to its stormwater drainage, overlooking issues, energy efficiency, and accessibility. The Town did put forward recommendations for what should be done to improve the design if it is passed by the WA Planning Commission. Cr Devereux moved an amendment to these recommendations to remove higher car parking requirements and (drawing on my discussions with our planning team) to require better bicycle parking. (Find this at 23 minutes.)
There was a long negotiation about the paths proposed for the Kent St Sandpit restoration project in Item 13.3, considering whether to install red asphalt roads or a clay road base overlaid with poly sealant. There was some disagreement here about the importance of meeting DFES requirements for fire engine access, as well as concerns around the impact of asphalt on the restoration goals. Ultimately, all elected members voted in favour of increasing the budget to allow for 3m wide clay road base paths to meet emergency vehicle requirements. (Discussion at 44 minutes.)
Get involved
The 2024 Urban Forest Planting Season is underway! As well as a plant giveaway there are also two community planting days coming up in July, and plenty of ways to get involved in Jirdarup bushland.
The Town's Community Grants program is now open, running through to June 1st. There are a bunch of drop-in sessions at the Town offices, so if you’ve got an idea and aren’t sure how to make it work you can talk it through with a Grants Officer.
The Town’s Family Fun Fest is coming up on May 18th, from 10am to 1pm at the Vic Park Community Centre. Find out more and book here.
Inspiration from elsewhere
With hard rubbish collection happening, I’ve been spending a bit of time saving treasures like wicker baskets and lovely steel-frame bicycles. I’ve also been watching them scoop up and crush piles into garbage trucks - much to my horror and my two-year-old’s delight! The latest issue of Renew Magazine had a great article about Darebin Hard Rubbish Heroes and their work to save usable items from landfill. I’d love to find ways to do something similar here (perhaps tying in with a repair lab and the Collective Shed). Until that happens don’t be too surprised if you see me cycling along with a second bike strapped to my bike!
This project uses a series of podcast interviews to ask “What if…?” - what if we somehow found the solutions to our problems? They’ve collected the solutions in a handy manifesto for those who prefer exploring ideas that way. I haven’t listened to the whole podcast yet, but I’ve especially enjoyed What if every city used doughnut economics? and I’m looking forward to What if we redesigned cities based on children’s needs? (among others).
Video is not my preferred format, but I’m looking forward to watching this video on Climate resilience and active travel when I get the chance.
We are all connected
The situation in Palestine continues to be desperate. You can take action to help, whether it’s helping to advocate for political change or providing vital funding to organisations like the UNRWA. Sudan is also in crisis. Within Australia, proposed changes to immigration laws are incredibly concerning: here’s a guide to writing to your Senator about it.
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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