BAW Baw Shire councillors have awarded a $161,513 contract to a company to undertake a survey of the area’s roads, roadside drains and signs.
The inventory and condition survey will be used to update the council’s records and is expected to take six months to complete.
The decision to award the contract came a fortnight after the council established its new Roads and Drains Committee, which will report on the same road and drain conditions.
Mayor Murray Cook said in a media release yesterday the survey will assess road conditions.
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“This survey is really the best first step to setting a foundation for the repair and renewal of our roads and drains network,” Cr Cook said.
“Understanding the state of each road through proper appraisal and measurement will help us to allocate funding into the future.”
Last month Cr Cook told The Warragul Citizen the committee would also assess road conditions and guide the councils’ funding.
“I think it’s a big step for roads because… we know there is experienced and skilled people (sic) in the community and it will be at no cost to council,” Cr Cook said.
“The main thrust of [this] advisory committee… is to bring in local knowledge to help the professions that work on our staff that (the locals) know exactly what the conditions are here over a period of time (sic).”
Baw Baw Director of Community Assets Phil Cantillon told The Warragul Citizen the contract winner, Infrastructure Management Group Pty Ltd, was one of seven companies the council had to choose from.
“Tenders for the provision of the roads asset condition survey was advertised in late January 2013,” Mr Cantillon said.
“Tenders closed on 20 February 2013 and seven tender submissions were received.”
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Mr Cantillon said the cost included imagery and viewing software used for the data collection.
Council has officers who’s job it is to oversee the contractors, they are setting up a community-based “roads and drains committee”, they drive on the roads and they still feel the need spend $160000 on a road survey? Didnt the rate-payers have their say and have a clean-out of a do-nothing council? This council could never be as bad as the last one but looks like it may give it a good shake
I read the news today oh boy
Four thousand holes in Baw Baw Shire Victoria
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the out door pool.
I’d love to turn you on.
(with apologies to the Beatles & Sgt Pepper)
hang on…. I don’t get it. Isn’t that what the members of the Roads and Drains Committee members were meant to tell council? Mayor cook said that it would be ‘at no cost to council’ and now they are spending $160K on what we all know? Is that just a rubber stamping committee to make it look like council is doing something (but they really dont trust community members anyway)? Cant council just go and look up the Quality Roads complaints record? Or maybe visit the facebook group set up to warn others of the pot holes and terrible roads? They already have a 1800 number we ring to tell them where the problems are but nothing gets done! What a waste of money to pay for yet another survey. This is paralysis by analysis.
The Sooner the Minister for Local Government sacks this Council the better! How much has this C.E.O. cost Ratepayers since she was appointed ? my estimate is $500,000 + As for the Mayor well Sir if I were you the first thing I would do is ask the C.E.O to do is to advise Council of its Total Debt Liability (all loans) ! You Clowns were elected on promises made ! you are the Bosses not the Senior Officers ! so start listening to your Ratepayers & Act Now !
160k would go along way to paying 2 persons wages for a year on a road gang!
and they would actually FIX potholes rather than “appraise and measure” them.
MAYBE WHEN THEY PRAYED BEFORE THE MEETING GOD ANSWERED BY TELLING THEM TO SPEND 160K ON POT HOLES.
WHAT SILLINESS
The first thing that this new Council had to do was reign in unnecessary spending. As we have competent staff on the Council, this $160,000 must be considered unnecessary spending.
I am wondering if the Councillors are afraid to stand up to the staff and do what is right for the ratepayers and residents?
If we keep going like this it will be a case of more of the same, with outrageous rate rises.