What is more important, our children’s health, or wildlife? Where should the line be drawn between the health of our children, citizens and motorists on our streets, and the protection of native animals?
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Albury Council must act on the growing problem of kangaroos in our urban areas.
In the last five years the kangaroo population in West Albury has grown, from rare sightings to numbers of 50 or more on our lawns, streets and playing fields.
Due to abundant water supply from manmade dams and water storages, lack of natural predators and reduced or eliminated competition from grazing livestock, there has been an explosion in the kangaroo population in Albury.
It is time to control kangaroo numbers before problems resulting from their nocturnal movements and defecation arise. Children are afraid to get off the school bus due the presence of very large kangaroos between the bus stop and their home. The football oval and soccer field in Bonnie Doon Park is covered in fresh kangaroo faeces every morning.
Neither fencing nor relocation of kangaroos is an option.
Sadly the only way to solve the problem is by culling them, reducing the necessity for the animals to invade residential areas to feed and ensuring the health and safety of residents. This will also protect the survival of local flora and fauna species.
Doug Reid, West Albury
Listen to the people
I attended Federation Council’s community information session on future pool options at the Corowa RSL on March 26.
This audience seemed pro a 25-metre heated pool. Mayor Pat Bourke asked the audience which pool option they preferred, seemingly ignoring the survey results (conducted by council at a cost) which was a resounding 77.2 per cent vote for a 50-metre outdoor pool.
I can only assume it wasn't the result council wanted so they will keep asking until they get the answer they want?
After this meeting I called two pool operators in regional NSW about their heated 25-metre pools. Griffith’s Aquatic Centre as per 2017 financial statements operated at a $678,000 loss and Junee at a loss of $1.36 million. One operator agreed that a heated 25-metre pool is a great facility to offer ratepayers, if council can afford it.
These huge operating deficits will be on top of borrowings of at least $6 million for a heated facility. Councillors should be very cautious binding ratepayers to any facility with such large, ongoing operating losses.
Federation Council's closest heated pool facility is only a half-hour drive. If a Federation Council ratepayer cannot drive, there are many community services available that would get them there.
If council abides the survey results and keeps a 50-metre pool, schools will still be able to hold swimming carnivals and the swimming club will be able to host events. The marathon and future events organisers will be able to utilise the pool. The forgotten demographic of 8 to 14-year-olds will still have a summer pool where it is safe to swim.
Otium (the consultant) has not disclosed what its ongoing involvement will be, and it would be alarming if any consultant were remunerated on a percentage of project cost. Federation Council ratepayers cannot afford a heated facility at this time. Possibly in the future there will be some cost improvements with heating a pool, or maybe the price of electricity and gas will come down?
