BREAKING NEWS Folley on the river's edge

Albeit that this park has sort of been opened a couple of times already  Riverbend Park will be officially opened on Saturday, August 17, with a free community event. Hang on a minute, the community has already stumped up the money for the event so any claim that it is FREE needs to be challenged.

The new all-abilities park has transformed a former industrial precinct into a major new recreational area for Launceston, funded by the City of Launceston and the State and Federal Governments. Trouble is, the overspend is going to trickle down in Launcestonians’ rate demands for quite a while yet. So be careful with your accolades.

Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said the opening of Riverbend Park would be an exciting day for families. "Launceston will now have a fantastic recreational link all the way from the Cataract Gorge to Riverbend Park where families can run, play, cycle, or just take a walk," Mayor van Zetten said. Yep, and they’ll be able to wonder as they wander just how much of their rate demand for the next little while will be needed to pay for it.

After that they’ll be able to watch the water level rise at the park’s edge as THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY Council has just declared kicks in.

OH YES, if you dig down a little bit you'll be able watch the tide go in and out of the hole you dig and that is really something. It is a cruel, cruel world.

IN THE EXAMINER Launceston's most anticipated park has an official opening date. After months of waiting and budget blowouts, the City of Launceston council is ready to open Riverbend Park........... A community event will be held on August 17 from 10am, with a free barbecue, basketball activities, face painting and a visit from the Hawthorn Football Club mascots. .......... The park is divided into four zones including the River Play area, Gorge Play area, Wild Core area, and the Urban Plaza...........A range of play equipment and experiences are located in each zone, including swings, diggers, sand pits, a wheelchair carousel, a water-play area, musical instruments, outdoor table tennis, see-saws and a full-size sports court........... The park's largest attractions are undoubtedly the Sky Walk and the 'confluence net', two of the largest pieces of play equipment in Australia........... Mayor Albert van Zetten said the opening would be an exciting day for families........... "The park itself is larger in area than even City Park, and I think children - and indeed adults - are going to have fantastic fun exploring all it has to offer," he said .......... "I have already had the pleasure of climbing the Sky Walk, and while it may not be for the faint of heart, the views are spectacular." .......... RELATED STORIES: Riverbend Park nears completion Park opening pushed back 'We don't want to keep them waiting': Riverbend Park opening date pushed to late-July Riverbend Park expected to open by end of June Many hands make bright work on Riverbend Park mural Riverbend Park budget increases by millions Cr van Zetten expects the opening to be a very busy day. .......... "we encourage as many people as possible to take advantage of the pedestrian and cycling routes to the site," he said. .......... "We'd especially like to thank the children of Launceston for being patient with us while we've worked through some pretty ordinary weather conditions.".

CLIMATE EMERGENCY DECLARED BY LCC - PROCEED WITH UTAS INVERESK AT PERIL OR JUST PLAIN HYPOCRITICAL?

At Thursday's council meeting, Nick Daking's notice of motion to declare a Climate Emergency was not in dispute or not inappropriate for discussion by a council, nor was the outcome - we are not asking people to be rocket scientists to understand why there is more lava spewing out of the earth, more destructive winds, more drought, record temperatures, and the more relevant here - MORE FLOODS - across the planet.

SO WHAT IS IN QUESTION, THEN? To put it bluntly, the sheer stupidity of approving a development application to place buildings that will have thousands of students and staff on site in a flood prone area, as well as a large car park which will be IN FRONT OF A FLOOD LEVEE! Great Universities are built to withstand the test of time. At a time when the Vikings were exploring North America, Oxford was built with Cambridge Uni less than 100yrs later. Does anyone seriously think that UTAS Inveresk made of sticks will see out even half of THIS century? There is no need for the big bad wolf to come and huff and puff with climate change well underway. Perhaps if the DA was changed to turn the building into Noah's Ark, there would be hope....

With Cr Daking stating, "This is why our climate motion will send a strong message to state and federal governments, make it impossible for them to ignore..." one has to ask if those who live in glass houses should not throw stones when it comes to approvals impacted by climate change.

SO THEN. WHO WILL PAY when (not if, but when) Inveresk area floods again and LCC chooses to allow the DA to go ahead?? Who will pay when Errol's properties are inundated (he was was wise to put them under the hammer before they go under the water). What of the millions spent on Riverbend Park, which lead to a budget overrun? What of the millions of dollars worth of vehicles in the new Automobile Museum that will be turned into oversized Tamar mud flavoured choc wedges.

WHO WILL PAY for the insurance hikes after this catastrophic event? Who will pay for the clean up bill? Who will pay to bus the students to another site such as the Hobart campus? Who will pay for the students to go back home for the rest of the year because they can't continue to use University facilities that are specific only to Launceston? Who will reconcile the senseless loss of life and ask "Why on earth did we move..."

The Launceston City Council has for almost 5 years bowed, scraped (and as we found out recently) directly assisted UTAS in getting their plans, spruiking the proposterous, and giving away millions of dollars of ratepayers assets in land, inevitably pushing up rate hikes. YET IF THE COUNCIL ACCEPTS CLIMATE CHANGE AND ALL THAT IT BRINGS, THEY MUST REJECT THE PROPOSAL FOR UTAS INVERESK. PERIOD.

I urge Invermay residents to show their dissatisfaction in numbers. Keep an eye out in the media for notices for the development application seeking comment and lodge your objections. One thing you can be sure on, it will be worded to keep you off the scent. Reject the lies and deception that we have endured for the last 5 years from proponents along with more changes to the plan than I've had baked dinners.

The voicing of my objections over the last few years (along with many others) are now coming to fruition.

Just like our climate emergency, it's time to act before it's too late. Not unlike the process a copilot must take if he realises the pilot is making a dangerous decision "Captain, You must listen!"

J

https://www.examiner.com.au/…/how-will-the-city-of-launces…/

FROM THE EXAMINER City of Launceston council is already working towards becoming more sustainable, but a newly-adopted motion is set to take it to another level. On Thursday, the council became the first council in the state to unanimously declare a climate emergency. Two other councils in the state have also declared emergencies, but have had some councillors not support it. ............... The Launceston motion was put forward by councillor Nick Daking. It called for the implementation of an action plan to become 100 per cent carbon neutral by 2025, the implementation of an action plan to move towards 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025 and to engage and work with the community, business and not-for-profit sectors to reduce community emissions................ The council will also write to state and federal parliamentarians to voice its declaration of an emergency. ............... RELATED STORIES: Break O'Day Council votes again on climate emergency ... More councils declare climate emergency ... Change the way you eat for the planet ... Sydney council declares climate emergency ... Greens seek climate emergency this year ... Tasmania parliament fails to declare climate emergency ............... As a result of Thursday's motion, the council has called for an audit into the council's current impacts, general manager Michael Stretton said. ............... "Specific initiatives will be identified as part of that work," he said. ............... "The City of Launceston has oversight of a range of relevant issues in Northern Tasmania like public street lighting, stormwater management, waste and recycling management, and energy requirements in our major regional facilities; we therefore have many levers that can potentially be pulled in the future." ............... The council has already implemented a number of strategies to help reach those targets. ............... These include capturing methane gas at its Mowbray landfill site, its Food Organics Garden Organics service for green waste, the installation of electric vehicle recharging stations and LED street lighting. ............... Solar panels have been installed at the Launceston Aquatic Centre, along with smart energy systems installed at many of its facilities. ............... About 30 councils across Australia have declared a climate emergency. City of Hobart and Kingborough councils are the only other Tasmanian councils to declare an emergency. Break O'Day Council has debated the topic twice.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

UTAS Inveresk site

TASMANIAN residents are crying out for adequate hospital facilities, mainly due to inadequate funds for beds and staff. Another problem is excessive ramping of ambulances causing distress, or possible death, to patients.

However, we are to spend an unknown amount, presently $300 million, in moving UTAS from Newnham to a flood plain.

Large infrastructure projects often run up to double the estimated cost.

The Newnham site is ideal - close to Launceston, a top-rated private school thriving as its neighbour and UTAS is expanding the Maritime college on the site.

Costings which show upgrading any Newnham building shortcomings are greater than constructing a new university campus is ludicrous.

This flood area is protected by many kilometres of flood levees, sitting on permeable silt foundations. Regular floods will be magnified by predicted sea level rises.

Major floods occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries, with disastrous results for Inveresk. It is easy to underestimate the fury of these floods. The 1929 floods were estimated to have taken 25 lives.

Launceston City Council moved the trams from the tramsheds on the Inveresk site to a safe, dry place on Wellington Street after the trams were damaged in the 1929 flood.

In line with protecting the community, and using knowledge gained in the 1929 flood, new small residential buildings are not permitted by the then LCC, to protect the safety of the inhabitants.

Learned Launceston city fathers planned the CBD to be constructed between Forster Street and the North Esk, thus the wide streets in that area.

They soon realised the folly of using that area and moved the CBD to higher dry ground, adjacent to the town hall.

Promotion of the Inveresk site has many supporters, who have enthusiastically supported the plan current in their time, only to find them replaced by a new plan.

These discarded plans include the main pompadour building on the old bike track, large circular car park halved for grass and trees, parking in the northern part of the showground, then Gleadow Street or on the Lindsay Street flood levee and a campus, a shadow of that originally promised.

The tall accommodation buildings constructed are out of favour and a new plan to construct 10 small accommodation units on each side of the river is the present aim, along with a 500-place car park in the adjacent floodplain on Glebe Farm.

I apologise if I have missed some deleted plans. What next?

G. Long, Launceston.

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