Flounder Rd works delayed

A Gosford Council project on Flounder Rd, Ettalong, will be delayed two years as part of council's city management plan (CMP).

It will be pushed back from the 2007/2008 capital works budget to the 2009/2010 budget.

Funds will also be reallocated from works planned for Mt Ettalong Rd, following discussions with stakeholders about the need to develop a more appropriate drainage design there.

Council received a Federal Local Roads grant fund totaling $225,000 for kerb, gutter and pavement work for the full length of Flounder Rd.

Funding from the project will be put towards several other projects around the Peninsula.

By the time the project is due to begin in the 2009/2010 financial year, the funding will be $400,000.

Council's director of city services Mr Stephen Glenn lodged two submissions to amend the three-year draft capital works budget.

One submission related to the prioritisation of works on Maitland Bay Dr and on the need to allocate funds to the construction of the NSW Coastline Cycleway on the Peninsula.

In the 2007/2008 financial year, grant funds totaling $225,000 would be taken from kerb, gutter and pavement works on the full length of Flounder Rd, and allocated to the NSW Coastline Cycleway Project, from Blackwall Point to The Boulevarde, Woy Woy.

In the 2008/2009 financial year, funds totaling $300,000 would again be removed from the Flounder Rd project and allocated to a Maitland Bay Dr project to relocate the road carriageway to the south.

This would include the construction of a retaining wall, stabilizing works and cutting on the northern side.

In the 2009/2010 financial year, grant funds totaling $400,000 would be removed from a roundabout construction at the intersection of Langford Dr and Woy Woy Rd, Woy Woy, and allocated to the Flounder Rd project.

Another submission from Mr Glenn asked that, following discussions with stakeholders on the need to develop appropriate drainage design in Mt Ettalong Rd, council agree to the reallocation of capital works funds.

Mr Glenn said that this would also provide for continuity of project development in accordance with the Ocean Beach Rd Route Development Study.

In the 2007/2008 financial year, grant funding of $267,940 would be removed from rehabilitation works on Mt Ettalong Rd, from Cowper Rd roundabout towards Etta Rd, and allocated to the construction of traffic signals and linemarking on Railway St at its intersection with Ocean Beach Rd.

Council placed the documents making up the CMP on public exhibition from April 12 to May 9.

The CMP consists of the draft three-year corporate plan, the draft three-year capital works budget, the draft program budget 2007/08, the supplementary sustainability report 2006, the community plan, the draft revenue policy and the EEO management plan 2006/07.

Council has now resolved to adopt the Draft Capital Works Budget 2007/08 - 2009/10 and the Draft City Management Plan 2007/08 - 2009/10 subject to the changes.

An A4 sized "mini plan" providing highlights of the corporate plan will be distributed with the rates notice in July and August.

Council agenda ENV.28, 22 May 2007