Message from the Mayor: 26 April 2024

Hello, I'm John Connors, the Mayor of the Dungog Shire, bringing you this weeks Mayoral message.

Yesterday was Anzac Day with services held throughout the shire, and from all reports were very well attended - from the dawn service at Clarence Town, which I gather was extremely well attended, through to the two services at Dungog - both of which had numbers far in excess of recent years. So, right throughout the shire, Anzac Day was well recognised again. 

There's been some talk in the community about the Williams River Holiday Park at Clarence Town and what the future is. While council resolved some little while back to carry out a review and look at ways in which the park might operate in the future, there is certainly no intention for there to be any cessation of the operations, and in fact, quite the contrary. So whilst a review is going on to look at the future, hopefully the future will see enhancements rather than anything else. So I hope that allays any community fears with respect to its continued operation.

On Monday the 29th of April there will be a series of information sessions at the Clarence Town School Of Arts with respect to the new bridge at Clarence Town. Those sessions will be at 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30pm. The format will be that representatives of council will outline the proposal and then there'll be the opportunity for questions. But to facilitate as many people as possible being able to attend the different times, the information will be given by the officers at 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30pm. So if you propose coming, please come shortly before one of those times and then you'll receive the presentation and have the opportunity to ask such questions as you may wish. 

The Tocal Field Day, which is having its 40th year celebration this year, takes place on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of May. That's Friday, Saturday, Sunday of next week, at Tocal. It has developed into a very significant part of the economy of the region. It had part of its genesis at the Dungog Showground so there's quite an affinity with the Dungog shire. Of course, the Dungog shire takes in the Tocal homestead and most of the carpark for the field day, but the college itself is within the Maitland City Council area.

Throughout May I propose to be available at the council chambers each Monday between 9:30am and 1pm. This is in addition to the proposed Meet the Mayor sessions throughout the shire, which will take place from the 20th of May, when there'll be sessions from 4-6pm on successive days in Dungog, East Gresford, Vacy, Paterson and Clarence Town. So in addition to Meet the Mayor sessions throughout the shire, I'll be available on Mondays between 9:30am and 1pm at the council Chambers in Dungog.

Roadworks continue throughout the Shire and I know cause inconvenience to some or in some cases, to many. But the Downing Street & Mary Street intersection in Dungog is planned to open to traffic today. So hopefully that will occur and the detours will be removed and our life will be back to normal. 

Queen Street in Clarence Town, the works there continue and the detours will remain in place until those works are completed, which at the moment is still some time away. And Durham Road at East Gresford and Gresford, the road works to the top end of that road continue and there are traffic lights in place. There will of course be some delays that cannot be avoided to enable the work to proceed. 

Stroud Hill Road, which is the long-awaited roadworks - work has commenced on that project and will be continuing obviously for some time whilst the four kilometres of that road are rehabilitated, but the work will be done in stages. There's different sections of the road being dealt with progressively.

At Tucker Park in Paterson, access to the park is restricted on the entrance from Maitland Road /Tocal Road. Those roadworks will continue again for some little while. Access to the park can be from King Street and then Queen Street but not from Maitland Road at the moment. 

And I think with those road updates, that's probably it for me for this week. So until next week, good luck and goodbye.