Community Consultation Brochure- Future York Heavy Haulage Route/York Bypass.
Dear Mr. Martin.
The Minutes of the Shire of York Ordinary Council Meeting for August, 2013, reported that the total of uncollected/outstanding rates was $825,258.03. Within the Agenda for the Ordinary Council Meeting for August, 2017, the outstanding rates tally is reported as $6,687,114.80.
Over the same reporting period, but 4 years apart, there is a negative discrepancy of $5,861,856.77. Is this caused by a new accounting procedure, there is a fair and reasonable explanation or is it a potential financial disaster?
There is some form of explanation- the reporting period of 2013 was overseen by a private contractor, Dominic Carbone who appears to have neglected to input the outstanding rates for the upcoming year for reasons unknown. The discrepancy could be as little as $223,075.029 between 2013 and those of 2017 but is likely to be much more.
Unfortunately there appears to be no way of assessing the actuals and no way of assessing the financial damage that York is facing, although the Moore Stephens Audit report gives the reasons why.
Now there are discussions about rate reductions for non-contiguous farmland that could eventually benefit 200 holdings. If proceeded with, what would be the additional rate burden borne by Shire ratepayers for domestic and commercial properties?
Now for ‘Operation Bypass’-yes, in the median to long term future, York, may require a heavy haulage bypass to protect its historic past and certainly any positive destiny it has. That is a given, if environmental and local social impacts are taken into due consideration regarding the approved route and it is developed for legitimate economic reasons.
But, is it possible to explain why the Great Southern Highway stretching from The Lakes turnoff to York is referred to as the Chidlow York Road in this document released on behalf of Main Roads, the Wheatbelt Development Commission and the Shire of York?
The Great Southern Highway is officially documented as branching off the Great Eastern Highway at The Lakes, 50 kilometres from Perth. Chidlow town-site is not situated on either of these two roads.
Does any road signage exist that suggests this narrow stretch of bitumen between The Lakes and York is called the Chidlow York Road, or is it just because a WA government agency, Main Roads, prefers to call it such? (It certainly is a ‘highway’ in name only.)
It is akin to calling the Great Eastern Highway, the Perth Northam Road, when it actually ends at Kalgoorlie.
Given current circumstance the timing for a bypass project update brochure that includes the Chidlow York Road which runs past Allawuna Farm is either poor, or portentous.
Are there secret plans by the Mundaring Shire Council to bypass its town-site with the bypass connected directly to the Chidlow York Road under the jurisdiction of Main Roads?
It could well encompass the Mathieson Road and Coppin Road Waste Transfer stations, both temporary waste storage facilities on a route to dump trash at Allawuna, and, of course, use Avon Waste’s Operations Depot at Lot 5113, Ashworth Road, York.
So- is it because Main Roads has told you in no uncertain terms that it is inevitable that 40 kilometres of the Chidlow York Road (also known as the Great Southern Highway) must be used as a mass transport route, delivering Perth rubbish to Allawuna Farm?
And does this mean that a new four-lane Chidlow York Road will run into a two-lane strip of Great Southern Highway, south of York, turning it into a future heavy haulage carpark, a traffic flow disaster, sooner than later.
If so- there are the obvious advantages of a trade-off, where the Shire of York will not expend too much effort in trying to prevent the Allawuna tip on the understanding that the State Government and Main Roads guarantees they will undertake major improvements to the Chidlow York Road ( that is the Great Southern Highway) in the near future. But include the Great Southern Highway south of York.
Conspiracy theories abound, but so do behind-closed-doors agreements between Commonwealth, State and Local Governments where ‘Joe Public’ is the very last to know.
When you look at the contents of the consultation proposal pragmatically, any reference to a York bypass road is technically bullshit because the Chidlow York Road only exists between Chidlow and York, according to Main Roads maps.
It is only the Great Southern Highway that bypasses York, heading south towards Beverley, Brookton, Pingelly, Narrogin and Wagin. (So what is actually being proposed here- regarding a bypass?)
It could be just as easy to provide expanded, heavy haulage road access to these towns, including Beverley, by using the Brookton Highway instead, bypassing York altogether, unless the Chidlow York Road needs rapid improvement (which it does.)
Maybe the Shire of York has been well and truly caught between a Bruce Rock and a hard place.
Having read the Agenda for the Shire of York Ordinary Council Meeting of August 28, 2017, circumstantial evidence suggests the Shire’s past and proposed actions have, and will, have no positive impact whatsoever in preventing the Allawuna Farm Landfill project from going ahead.
WA Local Governments have often vigorously and sometimes successfully opposed man-made disasters being located within their boundaries. (Apparently not- in the Shire of York’s case- it will be up to the public to do the best they can.)
Unfortunately the initial proposal for the Allawuna Farm project was strongly supported by both the Shire of York Administration and Council. In fact they were crawling across a mile of waste, broken glass to ensure it happened, so they could get their tipping for FREE and ingratiate themselves with the rest of the dearly departed ‘SEAVROC’.
It may well be that the would- be President of SEAVROC/SEARTG/LGAM and the original proponent of dumping Perth waste in the Avon valley, Dominic Carbone, and his faithful sidekick, Ray Hooper, are assisting in the current Allawuna land grab. (Maybe this could be for revenge, but much more likely for a big, fat fee.)
At that time there was also the possibility of the Chidlow York Road (the Great Southern Highway) being improved by Commonwealth/State road funding with, of course, several local entrepreneurs looking forward to a massive increase in waste movement related profits and the shire looking for additional commercial and domestic ratepayers.
Although you may be now suffering the consequences of initial negotiations over Allawuna, your reaction since taking office could be considered as knee-jerk and apathetic, with your current actions, on behalf of Council and, supposedly, the community, all but ensuring that lingering presence of escaped methane over Allawuna.
In sufficient volume, methane could light up the lives of surrounding farmers, including their crops?
Personally, I would not want to be the CEO, or Council, of the Shire of York when hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste is buried in a shallow grave on Allawuna Farm.
All you have to do, on behalf of the Shire of York, is say ‘NO’ to Allawuna Farm and take it from there.
Within this propaganda style consultation BYPASS brochure it states ‘York has become a hub for tourism and a lifestyle destination’.
To the best of everyone’s knowledge this has not occurred during your tenure.
The re-visited York Jazz Festival, over which you were ultimately in charge, was a systemic failure that now, according to part of an Agenda Item, potentially requires a real Events Manager, a proper publicity officer and actual marketing and promotion experts to make it work. (Many can recall that you wished to do everything in-house with the senior staff you had selected, not by massively expanding staff levels to cover glaring gaps in your administration, or hiring consultants.)
However the Allawuna proposal could ensure festivals are gone. Because, strangely enough, heavy traffic mixed with tourist busses and stinking waste, does not enhance either tourism or local lifestyle, whether the traffic is free-flowing, or not!
So what specifically have you done as CEO, in descending order, which has caused York to become a hub for tourism and a much sought after lifestyle relaxant?
It should have been recorded to assure ratepayers and the community, via Council, you are meeting your required Key Performance Indicator obligations (if any.)
One should be that you are responsible for the financial state of the Shire of York coffers including the fact that in four years York’s unpaid rates have increased by nearly $6 million. So are you responsible for York’s debt, which you should be, and how do you intend to fix it?
It is claimed in this brochure that such ‘planning studies encompass a 20-30 year timeframe, which can change subject to various social and economic factors’.( Given the average age of York’s population (in three decades time) most will be way too old to care.)
What various social and economic factors would want you to advance to ‘right now’ the provision of ’a high standard, free flowing route for heavy traffic’ because York ‘will be continued to be impacted by increased heavy haulage movements’.
Allawuna tip perhaps?
Heavy haulage impacts such as road maintenance costs, fuel costs, the enormous price of road trauma, traffic congestion and the need for a BYPASS could be alleviated by the economically sound use of infrastructure such as the Tier 3 Rail Network. (This could be the new State Government’s preference.)
One huge problem is Co-operative Bulk Handling and the rail lessee Arc Infrastructure.
Its detractors believe that CBH decisions are made by a board of ancient farmers with no entrepreneurial expertise, now led by a recently sacked BHP Executive who is claimed to be a culprit in the Brazilian mine disaster . (Arc Infrastructure is just there to make a profit, not for the benefit of farmers or anybody else.)
Claims are made about CBH that mismanagement and abuse of staff is rife. The allegation is that as a monolithic, near monopoly, it cannot even decide to become an ASX listed share-investor company.
Some finance experts believe that the reason that CBH does not list itself on the stock exchange is that it is aware that its poor corporate structure would be soon found out.
Also Tier 3 will never be back on track, to remove 30,000 heavy haulage movements off inland roads, until CBH is taken over.
As usual the bypass brochure is big on positive rhetoric, and short of substantiated fact. It would be nice to know what light industries you consider will be attracted to York by a heavy haulage bypass route?
Obviously good road transport facilities are a plus, also cheap land. But the real factors are access to a cheap, efficient power supply, whether electricity or gas, a cheap and reliable water supply and strong local demand for the product in a large local marketplace.
Also what comes first ’the chicken or the egg’? Does population attract industry, or industry attracts population. If you knew the answer to this, and how to apply it, you would be WA’s greatest Local Government CEO.
To Shire President, David Wallace, could you please ensure that in any future council agenda
the word ‘Request’ is not used as it can mean to appeal, plead and pray for.
Your powers give you the right to ‘Require’ the CEO to act in accordance with what is rightfully and reasonably demanded of him, and through his position, all other staff.
David Taylor (please read letter below).
Dear Mr. Martin.
The Minutes of the Shire of York Ordinary Council Meeting for August, 2013, reported that the total of uncollected/outstanding rates was $825,258.03. Within the Agenda for the Ordinary Council Meeting for August, 2017, the outstanding rates tally is reported as $6,687,114.80.
Over the same reporting period, but 4 years apart, there is a negative discrepancy of $5,861,856.77. Is this caused by a new accounting procedure, there is a fair and reasonable explanation or is it a potential financial disaster?
There is some form of explanation- the reporting period of 2013 was overseen by a private contractor, Dominic Carbone who appears to have neglected to input the outstanding rates for the upcoming year for reasons unknown. The discrepancy could be as little as $223,075.029 between 2013 and those of 2017 but is likely to be much more.
Unfortunately there appears to be no way of assessing the actuals and no way of assessing the financial damage that York is facing, although the Moore Stephens Audit report gives the reasons why.
Now there are discussions about rate reductions for non-contiguous farmland that could eventually benefit 200 holdings. If proceeded with, what would be the additional rate burden borne by Shire ratepayers for domestic and commercial properties?
Now for ‘Operation Bypass’-yes, in the median to long term future, York, may require a heavy haulage bypass to protect its historic past and certainly any positive destiny it has. That is a given, if environmental and local social impacts are taken into due consideration regarding the approved route and it is developed for legitimate economic reasons.
But, is it possible to explain why the Great Southern Highway stretching from The Lakes turnoff to York is referred to as the Chidlow York Road in this document released on behalf of Main Roads, the Wheatbelt Development Commission and the Shire of York?
The Great Southern Highway is officially documented as branching off the Great Eastern Highway at The Lakes, 50 kilometres from Perth. Chidlow town-site is not situated on either of these two roads.
Does any road signage exist that suggests this narrow stretch of bitumen between The Lakes and York is called the Chidlow York Road, or is it just because a WA government agency, Main Roads, prefers to call it such? (It certainly is a ‘highway’ in name only.)
It is akin to calling the Great Eastern Highway, the Perth Northam Road, when it actually ends at Kalgoorlie.
Given current circumstance the timing for a bypass project update brochure that includes the Chidlow York Road which runs past Allawuna Farm is either poor, or portentous.
Are there secret plans by the Mundaring Shire Council to bypass its town-site with the bypass connected directly to the Chidlow York Road under the jurisdiction of Main Roads?
It could well encompass the Mathieson Road and Coppin Road Waste Transfer stations, both temporary waste storage facilities on a route to dump trash at Allawuna, and, of course, use Avon Waste’s Operations Depot at Lot 5113, Ashworth Road, York.
So- is it because Main Roads has told you in no uncertain terms that it is inevitable that 40 kilometres of the Chidlow York Road (also known as the Great Southern Highway) must be used as a mass transport route, delivering Perth rubbish to Allawuna Farm?
And does this mean that a new four-lane Chidlow York Road will run into a two-lane strip of Great Southern Highway, south of York, turning it into a future heavy haulage carpark, a traffic flow disaster, sooner than later.
If so- there are the obvious advantages of a trade-off, where the Shire of York will not expend too much effort in trying to prevent the Allawuna tip on the understanding that the State Government and Main Roads guarantees they will undertake major improvements to the Chidlow York Road ( that is the Great Southern Highway) in the near future. But include the Great Southern Highway south of York.
Conspiracy theories abound, but so do behind-closed-doors agreements between Commonwealth, State and Local Governments where ‘Joe Public’ is the very last to know.
When you look at the contents of the consultation proposal pragmatically, any reference to a York bypass road is technically bullshit because the Chidlow York Road only exists between Chidlow and York, according to Main Roads maps.
It is only the Great Southern Highway that bypasses York, heading south towards Beverley, Brookton, Pingelly, Narrogin and Wagin. (So what is actually being proposed here- regarding a bypass?)
It could be just as easy to provide expanded, heavy haulage road access to these towns, including Beverley, by using the Brookton Highway instead, bypassing York altogether, unless the Chidlow York Road needs rapid improvement (which it does.)
Maybe the Shire of York has been well and truly caught between a Bruce Rock and a hard place.
Having read the Agenda for the Shire of York Ordinary Council Meeting of August 28, 2017, circumstantial evidence suggests the Shire’s past and proposed actions have, and will, have no positive impact whatsoever in preventing the Allawuna Farm Landfill project from going ahead.
WA Local Governments have often vigorously and sometimes successfully opposed man-made disasters being located within their boundaries. (Apparently not- in the Shire of York’s case- it will be up to the public to do the best they can.)
Unfortunately the initial proposal for the Allawuna Farm project was strongly supported by both the Shire of York Administration and Council. In fact they were crawling across a mile of waste, broken glass to ensure it happened, so they could get their tipping for FREE and ingratiate themselves with the rest of the dearly departed ‘SEAVROC’.
It may well be that the would- be President of SEAVROC/SEARTG/LGAM and the original proponent of dumping Perth waste in the Avon valley, Dominic Carbone, and his faithful sidekick, Ray Hooper, are assisting in the current Allawuna land grab. (Maybe this could be for revenge, but much more likely for a big, fat fee.)
At that time there was also the possibility of the Chidlow York Road (the Great Southern Highway) being improved by Commonwealth/State road funding with, of course, several local entrepreneurs looking forward to a massive increase in waste movement related profits and the shire looking for additional commercial and domestic ratepayers.
Although you may be now suffering the consequences of initial negotiations over Allawuna, your reaction since taking office could be considered as knee-jerk and apathetic, with your current actions, on behalf of Council and, supposedly, the community, all but ensuring that lingering presence of escaped methane over Allawuna.
In sufficient volume, methane could light up the lives of surrounding farmers, including their crops?
Personally, I would not want to be the CEO, or Council, of the Shire of York when hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste is buried in a shallow grave on Allawuna Farm.
All you have to do, on behalf of the Shire of York, is say ‘NO’ to Allawuna Farm and take it from there.
Within this propaganda style consultation BYPASS brochure it states ‘York has become a hub for tourism and a lifestyle destination’.
To the best of everyone’s knowledge this has not occurred during your tenure.
The re-visited York Jazz Festival, over which you were ultimately in charge, was a systemic failure that now, according to part of an Agenda Item, potentially requires a real Events Manager, a proper publicity officer and actual marketing and promotion experts to make it work. (Many can recall that you wished to do everything in-house with the senior staff you had selected, not by massively expanding staff levels to cover glaring gaps in your administration, or hiring consultants.)
However the Allawuna proposal could ensure festivals are gone. Because, strangely enough, heavy traffic mixed with tourist busses and stinking waste, does not enhance either tourism or local lifestyle, whether the traffic is free-flowing, or not!
So what specifically have you done as CEO, in descending order, which has caused York to become a hub for tourism and a much sought after lifestyle relaxant?
It should have been recorded to assure ratepayers and the community, via Council, you are meeting your required Key Performance Indicator obligations (if any.)
One should be that you are responsible for the financial state of the Shire of York coffers including the fact that in four years York’s unpaid rates have increased by nearly $6 million. So are you responsible for York’s debt, which you should be, and how do you intend to fix it?
It is claimed in this brochure that such ‘planning studies encompass a 20-30 year timeframe, which can change subject to various social and economic factors’.( Given the average age of York’s population (in three decades time) most will be way too old to care.)
What various social and economic factors would want you to advance to ‘right now’ the provision of ’a high standard, free flowing route for heavy traffic’ because York ‘will be continued to be impacted by increased heavy haulage movements’.
Allawuna tip perhaps?
Heavy haulage impacts such as road maintenance costs, fuel costs, the enormous price of road trauma, traffic congestion and the need for a BYPASS could be alleviated by the economically sound use of infrastructure such as the Tier 3 Rail Network. (This could be the new State Government’s preference.)
One huge problem is Co-operative Bulk Handling and the rail lessee Arc Infrastructure.
Its detractors believe that CBH decisions are made by a board of ancient farmers with no entrepreneurial expertise, now led by a recently sacked BHP Executive who is claimed to be a culprit in the Brazilian mine disaster . (Arc Infrastructure is just there to make a profit, not for the benefit of farmers or anybody else.)
Claims are made about CBH that mismanagement and abuse of staff is rife. The allegation is that as a monolithic, near monopoly, it cannot even decide to become an ASX listed share-investor company.
Some finance experts believe that the reason that CBH does not list itself on the stock exchange is that it is aware that its poor corporate structure would be soon found out.
Also Tier 3 will never be back on track, to remove 30,000 heavy haulage movements off inland roads, until CBH is taken over.
As usual the bypass brochure is big on positive rhetoric, and short of substantiated fact. It would be nice to know what light industries you consider will be attracted to York by a heavy haulage bypass route?
Obviously good road transport facilities are a plus, also cheap land. But the real factors are access to a cheap, efficient power supply, whether electricity or gas, a cheap and reliable water supply and strong local demand for the product in a large local marketplace.
Also what comes first ’the chicken or the egg’? Does population attract industry, or industry attracts population. If you knew the answer to this, and how to apply it, you would be WA’s greatest Local Government CEO.
To Shire President, David Wallace, could you please ensure that in any future council agenda
the word ‘Request’ is not used as it can mean to appeal, plead and pray for.
Your powers give you the right to ‘Require’ the CEO to act in accordance with what is rightfully and reasonably demanded of him, and through his position, all other staff.
David Taylor (please read letter below).
From: davidgrant@westnet.com.au
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2017 4:33 PM
To: mining-pastoral@mp.wa.gov.au
Cc: David
Subject: FW: ALLAWUNA LANDFILL
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2017 4:33 PM
To: mining-pastoral@mp.wa.gov.au
Cc: David
Subject: FW: ALLAWUNA LANDFILL
Date August 17, 2017
Robin Chapple MLC
Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region
GREENS WA
Dear Mr. Chapple
YOUR URGENT ATTENTION
ALLAWUNA FARM LANDFILL YORK.One of the Four Pillars of Green’s philosophy is “Beyond Waste”.
The potentially massive Allawuna Farm Landfill site goes way beyond waste to the complete desecration of pristine farmland through the burial of domestic and industrial waste, including asbestos, transported from the Metropolitan Area.
It spells economic ruin for the historic town of York and part of a precious agricultural resource.
The craziness of it all is beyond imagination other than in backwoods WA, where the two major parties tend to fall over themselves to destroy the environment, including what little farmland, forests and wetlands we have.
Allawuna Farm is located in a water catchment area near a freshwater spring called St. Ronan’s Well, an historic jewel in its own right.
It is just 50 kilometres from Meckering where, in 1968, the town was destroyed by an earthquake with the power of 8 Atomic Bomb explosions of the magnitude that flattened Hiroshima. Allawuna is right in the centre of this dangerously unstable seismic zone.
It is also located in an area of temperature inversion where polluted, toxic air can be trapped just above the land surface for days. This meteorological phenomenon is so marked in this region of the Avon Valley, it was why two successful around-the-world ballooning attempts by Steve Fossett and Fedor Konyukhov commenced from here.
Massive trucks carrying enormous volumes of waste will make their way to Allawuna along a narrow, already dangerous strip of bitumen, laughingly called the Great Southern Highway. Public road carnage has a high degree of probability and the white crosses should, by rights, end up on the lawns of Parliament House.
The Greens have the support of thousands upon thousands of supporters with a environmental-social conscience.
This offence against all things held dear by a community of 3,400 in York, is located within your electorate and therefore your area of influence.
I would hope that you raise this issue with your colleagues and supporters and your objections to this travesty at the highest and most potent levels.
Yours sincerely
David Taylor.
Robin Chapple MLC
Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region
GREENS WA
Dear Mr. Chapple
YOUR URGENT ATTENTION
ALLAWUNA FARM LANDFILL YORK.One of the Four Pillars of Green’s philosophy is “Beyond Waste”.
The potentially massive Allawuna Farm Landfill site goes way beyond waste to the complete desecration of pristine farmland through the burial of domestic and industrial waste, including asbestos, transported from the Metropolitan Area.
It spells economic ruin for the historic town of York and part of a precious agricultural resource.
The craziness of it all is beyond imagination other than in backwoods WA, where the two major parties tend to fall over themselves to destroy the environment, including what little farmland, forests and wetlands we have.
Allawuna Farm is located in a water catchment area near a freshwater spring called St. Ronan’s Well, an historic jewel in its own right.
It is just 50 kilometres from Meckering where, in 1968, the town was destroyed by an earthquake with the power of 8 Atomic Bomb explosions of the magnitude that flattened Hiroshima. Allawuna is right in the centre of this dangerously unstable seismic zone.
It is also located in an area of temperature inversion where polluted, toxic air can be trapped just above the land surface for days. This meteorological phenomenon is so marked in this region of the Avon Valley, it was why two successful around-the-world ballooning attempts by Steve Fossett and Fedor Konyukhov commenced from here.
Massive trucks carrying enormous volumes of waste will make their way to Allawuna along a narrow, already dangerous strip of bitumen, laughingly called the Great Southern Highway. Public road carnage has a high degree of probability and the white crosses should, by rights, end up on the lawns of Parliament House.
The Greens have the support of thousands upon thousands of supporters with a environmental-social conscience.
This offence against all things held dear by a community of 3,400 in York, is located within your electorate and therefore your area of influence.
I would hope that you raise this issue with your colleagues and supporters and your objections to this travesty at the highest and most potent levels.
Yours sincerely
David Taylor.
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