North Arm Cove gets just one mention in the Great Lakes Council Agenda for this month (October): a one-line footnote to a report from GLC Parks and Recreation on the Regional Boating Grants from the NSW Government's Boating Now program.
This report to Council outlines the $1.415million that Council will receive from Boating Now grants to undertake eight projects in other parts of the Council area. To these projects, Council will make an in-kind contribution $370,000. Council, the report says, applied for the funding of these projects.
Incidentally, one of these eight projects is to install dinghy racks and launching facility in Anzac Park, Tea Gardens. You may remember that the Residents Association in 2012 obtained a $25,000 grant to install the dinghy racks in Casuarina and Water St Reserves and then in 2013 a second grant of $31,375 to install dinghy launching facilities in both reserves. While the work on the first of these projects is essentially complete, after almost two years we are yet to see any visible progress on the dinghy launching facilities! Will the Anzac Park facilities receive more attention from Council than our launching facilities have?
Council, the report says, applied for funding of those eight projects all of which were identified as priorities in the RMS Boating Strategy for Port Stephens. But locating sites for both a Jetty and Boat Ramp in the Cove also made it as a priority in that document thanks to the endeavours of the Association and a number of local residents.
So what's happening about our boat ramp and jetty? This is what the report says:
Additionally, several projects have been earmarked in the Port Stephens - Hunter Regional Boating Plan to be carried out in Council's LGA:
• Support development of Tea Gardens/Hawks Nest Foreshore Redevelopment Master Plan
• Investigate options to upgrade facilities at Waterhen Park, Nerong
• Investigate options for new wharf/jetty at Tahlee
• Investigate options for boat ramp and jetty at North Arm Cove
These projects will be delivered by Roads and Maritime Services with support from Great Lakes Council's Parks and Recreation section.
Given that no in-kind budget has been allocated for these projects, the extent of support likely to be provided by GLC's Parks and Recreation section is likely to be minimal at best.
It is easy to come to a conclusion that our Cove rates at near-to-zero in Council priorities for boating facilities - regardless of what Roads and Maritime believe. We look forward to working with RMS to achieve a positive outcome for North Arm Cove
