Lori Scinto, Crystal Creek.
A motion to approve a five-year licence to the Pottsville & District Men’s Shed at the Black Rocks sports field – a critical connectivity and breeding hub for the last viable colony on the Tweed Coast – passed. This means not only more noise and disturbance for the koalas who die of stress-related disease but also the potential risk of fire should vandals break into the men’s shed and access flammable chemicals.
The Black Rocks site is temporary until a more suitable permanent site is found. Lot 3 Centennial Ave Pottsville is permanent and could be very suitable but these councillors refused to investigate it or to defer approval for advice from the Department of Lands. This means a huge waste of public grant money to build a shed at Black Rocks only to have to move in five years’ time.
Cr Longland publicly said he is ‘keen to have the Tweed Coast koalas protected and for them to thrive.’ This is NOT evident from his voting pattern!
Based on these councillors’ voting patterns we can expect accelerated extinction of Tweed Coastal koalas. They complained about having to ‘endure’ hundreds, thousands, of letters from the community on this issue. Aren’t they supposed to represent us?
They also voted against a report on large-scale investment in GHG emission reduction and a report on ‘clean, green zones’ in industrial areas for sensitive organic industries.
Who will you vote for at Tweed shire council’s election, October 29?
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
