The highly contentious works at Lake Ainsworth are about to start, with hopes that the southern precinct will be done by the end of the year.
According to Ballina Shire Council, work will commence next Tuesday as stage one of the upgrade Lake Ainsworth’s Foreshore begins.
This stage of works will focus on the southern precinct and will include formalising car parking, reconstructing the southern road and bitumen sealing Camp Drewe Road.
The decision to continue with the Lake Ainsworth development works was decided at an Extraordinary Council Meeting in early September. Council anticipates the southern precinct upgrades will be completed by Christmas 2018.
During this stage of works, parking will be available on the eastern arm and the grassed parking area opposite the Lake. Traffic control will be in place as required and access to Camp Drewe Road will not be impacted.
‘The foreshore improvement works will be completed across three stages from next week until mid-2019,’ said John Truman, Manager Civil Services Group, Ballina Shire Council. ‘By completing the upgrade works in stages will help minimise disruptions for our community.’
Once completed, the $1.7M project will include additional barbeques, pathways, picnic tables, formalised parking, erosion rehabilitation and landscaping.
For more information or to view the concept plans, visit: Council’s website.
Well, you can see that those trees in the photo they were once on and protected the bank of Lake Ainsworth.
They are now in the water. So Ballina Council has been negligent in protecting the Lake’s foreshores, for what it is worth. As the natural environment attract visitors from outside the Shire of Ballina to spend money in Ballina. Why did the shores of the Lake get to this dilapidated state of disrepair?
Erosion to a visitors eye can see that maybe hundreds of tonnes of earth has been washed into the Lake from activity in the Lake. Earth washed into the Lake raises the level of the water surface also exacerbating erosion. Those trees are now in danger of falling over into the Lake. Instead of bolstering the bank that held the trees and helping Mother Nature hold back the water, Ballina Shire Council takes notice of a real estate agent and will begin with the three words beginning this article “The highly contentious works …”
It is highly contentious, the works that are to begin. Why does not Ballina Council listen to the people of the shire of Ballina? And why not do what was needed to be done to save the foreshore of the Lake before it needed big maintenance that costs big money to the ratepayers? Will Ballina rates rise next year?