Plans for BID money

Gosford Council's Environment and Planning director Ms Colleen Worthy-Jennings has provided a report to Council on plans by the Ettalong Beach Business Group to spend a $25,000 grant.

She was responding to a request by Cr Jim Macfadyen.

The Ettalong Beach Business Group received the $25,000 from the council after Ettalong was approved as a Business Improvement District last year.

Ms Worthy-Jennings said Council had approved the installation of up to 25 flagpoles in the Ettalong Beach business district as part of the funding.

She said Council would fund the flagpoles and their installation, but the funding of the flags was the responsibility of the Group.

An amount of $8000 had been allocated for the purchase of flags which will include a generic Ettalong Beach logo, festival and festive season flags.

She said that the flags would be installed in the final quarter this year.

The group allocated $5000 toward direction signs in the area and signage location and final numbers were currently being organised for submission to Council for approval, Ms Worthy-Jennings said.

She said that the group had allocated $5000 for tree planting for the walking circuit along Ferry Rd to Picnic Pde, along the beachfront, up Picnic Pde, into Ocean View Rd and back to Ferry Rd.

The group had also allocated $5000 for the enhancement of the main street in Ettalong, including lighting in trees in key areas including Picnic Pde and the foreshore.

An allocation of $2000 has been made for miscellaneous expenditure on projects including facilitation of the public meeting held in September last year.

Ms Worthy-Jennings said the group believed "it is not in the group members' or the community residents' best interests to embark on a program of expenditure, simply to 'spend' the seed funding".

Gosford Council Agenda COR.103, 6 Sep 2011