A public jetty in North Arm Cove has been a high priority for the community for many many years. It has also been identifed as a top priority in submissions to our local community plan.
Last years NSW bushfire inquiry report recommended that villages with only one access that could be cut-off by a bushfire - such as North Arm Cove - should also have a water based evacuation means if possible.
So a public jetty would be very useful for residents, particularly those that are boaties which is a large proportion of Cove residents - and it could be a lifesaver in the event of a bushfire! A public jetty may also attract a ferry service to the Cove.
For these reasons over the past few months NACCAi has been assessing options for establishing a public jetty in the Cove. There are some nine potential locations for a jetty, and all have different pros and cons.Council supports the concept of a jetty in the Cove and is willing to work with us.
As part of this work we have obtained budget costing for different lengths and types of jetties, and will be doing budget costing for the land access side of a jetty.
The NSW Goverment has a system of grants for boating infrastructure - called the Boating Now program. The next round of grants - round 4 - is expected to be announced later this year, with the grant applications being open either late this year or early next year. We are aiming to have a well developed proposal ready to be submitted when the grant applications open.
At the next NACCAi general meeting on 13 November we propose to form a Waterways Access subcommittee to look after the jetty proposal. A terms of reference for the proposed subcommittee will be put to the meeting for approval.
At this meeting we will also give a presentation on the work that has been carried out to date, including the possible locations and design options and indicative costing.
We are aiming to develop a short list of two or three locations and then undertake community consultation on them.
So if you would like to know more about what we are doing, come along to the meeting on 13 November. If you have expertise that would be invaluable in developing the jetty proposals and would like to help, we would love to hear from you so come along to the meeting or drop us a line.
