A petition urging the council to rescind its decision to build a new $5 million Westbury Recreation Centre is circulating the municipality.
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The petition was written by former Meander Valley councillor, Pat Frost, and is aiming to garner 500 signatures to bring the issue to a public meeting.
Mrs Frost wrote that the new recreation centre does not have community support and the $5 million price tag for the centre is too much for ratepayers to bear.
“Conversations among the public, following the decision to spend these funds, indicates that the proposal is not supported by the wider community,” the petition reads.
“People have been talking to me and asking, ‘what can be done?"
- Pat Frost
“The council’s interest does not appear to represent the interest of the community.
“The financial impact on ratepayers is starting to become apparent.”
The redevelopment of the Westbury recreation ground was approved by the council at September’s meeting.
An original proposal to upgrade the facilities at a cost of $1.2 million was voted down at the same meeting.
The touted upgrades will include a sports pavilion, change rooms and a function centre, according to Meander Valley mayor Craig Perkins.
Mrs Frost said she had been inundated with complaints about the council’s decision.
She said: “People have been talking to me and asking, ‘what can be done?’
“As a ratepayer the only thing I can do is start a petition, and call for a public meeting.”
Mrs Frost also believes there are not enough users of the town’s existing recreation centre to warrant the upgrades.
They don’t understand what it’s about, and they don’t understand what communities are
- Cr Bob Richardson
Councillor Deborah White raised similar concerns at the September council meeting.
Cr White also raised concerns about the lack of economic and financial modelling conducted for the redevelopment plan.
Meanwhile, longtime supporter of the recreation ground, councillor Bob Richardson, said “there are always knockers”.
“I saw [the petition] somewhere and I thought there are always knockers who are about,” he said.
“They don’t understand what it’s about, and they don’t understand what communities are.”