FIREY debate marked Tuesday night’s Swan Hill Rural City Council meeting where the intermediate lift-span, upstream of the current bridge — known as the 9a option — was tossed aside by a newly elected council.
Council passed the motion to oppose the 9a position by a single vote, continuing a history of close contests in relation to the issue.
Council will now announce its withdrawal of support for 9a to other stakeholders involved in the process: the Victorian ministers for Planning and Transport, local politicians, Wakool Shire Council, VicRoads, RMS and Wamba Wamba Aboriginal community, all of which had agreed to the 9a option.
Additionally, the council decided to request a meeting with Vic Roads seeking to progress “alternative options”.
Councillors Michael Adamson and Gary Norton with Mayor Les McPhee provided the majority vote, while Greg Cruickshank and John Katis voted against the motion.
Councillors Jessie Kylie and Jim Crowe left the council chamber for the entire item, declaring a conflict of interest due to their “close association” with the bridge debate. Both were elected last year after campaigning strongly against the 9a bridge route which heads through Riverside Park, entering Curlewis Street.
Gary Norton said he believed his motion represented the majority view of the Swan Hill municipality, evidenced in the recent council election and earlier petition the motion.
“We’re all aware Swan Hill needs a new bridge — isn’t it worth fighting for the right option, not just a quick fix lift-bridge?” Cr Norton said.
Councillor Greg Cruickshank asked acting chief executive officer David Leahy for the approximate value of planning studies up to this point. “Over four to five years the cost is in excess of $4 million,” Mr Leahy said.
“How are we going to convince VicRoads to fork out that kind of money again?” Cr Cruickshank asked.
For more on this story, see Friday’s edition of The Guardian
(15/02/13).
