Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Greater Geelong City Council held at the Council Conference and Reception Centre in City Hall, 30 Gheringhap Street, Geelong on 28 March 2017, commencing at 6:30pm.
Colin Wallace
Vicky Grosser
Jennifer Bantow
Lex Chalmers
Doug Carson
Helen Lucas
Dr Kathy Alexander (Chair), L Gardner, P Dorling.
K Spiller (Chief Executive Officer)
T Hellsten (Acting Director Manager Planning and Development)
B Luxford (Director Investment & Attraction)
L Quinn (Director Community Life)
J Moloney (Director Finance & Strategy)
A Keen (Executive Manager People and Organisational Development)
R Leonard (Senior Manager Legal Services & Governance)
The Chair declared the meeting open at 6:30pm.
Council acknowledges Wadawurrung Traditional Owners of this land and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People who are part of the Greater Geelong community today.
William Tieppo (Director City Services)
L Gardner moved, P Dorling seconded -
That the Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 28 February 2017 be confirmedt.
Carried.
Nil.
Question Time is an opportunity for questions to be addressed to Council and while the minutes record the general content, they do not purport to be a transcript of what was said by individuals. Likewise, the Interim Administrator or Officer verbal responses are in summary form only. Views expressed may not be the views of Council.
Council's practice is to provide a separate document on its website setting out questions and responses including any more detailed written responses which may be provided subsequent to the meeting.
Colin Wallace directed the following questions through the Chair to the Chief Executive Officer:
Which officer has direct responsibility for the content of the Minutes of Council Meetings?
The Chief Executive Officer responded the Senior Manager Legal Services & Governance.
Who reports to whom between the officer directly responsible for the content of the Minutes of Council Meetings and yourself, the Chief Executive Officer?
The Chief Executive Officer responded the officer reports directly to myself.
Tim McDonald, listed in the Minutes of the most recent Council Meeting as Manager Customer Service and Council Business: to who does he report?
The Chief Executive Officer responded he reports to the Executive Manager People & Organisation Development.
The Chief Executive Office offered to provide a copy of the City’s Organisational Structure.
Vicky Grosser, Acting Chair, Geelong One Fire, asked the following:
Geelong One Fire, on behalf of the Tournier family and Aboriginal community leaders in Geelong, would like to hear the Administrators views about our request for inclusion of She Oak trees in the future 'revitalisation' of Johnstone Park. They would replace the she oaks planted by Dan Dan Nook, Harry Gore and Willem Baa Niip as the park was developed in the 1860s which were then removed for the railway line extension in 1874. This was the wish of Uncle David Tournier. In honour of Uncle, who was a major community leader in teaching many hundreds of people in the region about local Djillong culture and history before he passed on 31st December of last year, could a listening post also be installed by Council in the Park, with a push button to access the 'Johnstone Park Dreaming' history which he recorded for Reconciliation Week a few years ago?
One Fire has appreciated the contact made with them in the past week by officers of Council to gather access to the history Vicky Grosser (One Fire Acting Chair) presented to you on 14th March, and would appreciate the Tournier family and Aboriginal community leaders of their choice being fully involved in the development of this proposal. Can they be fully engaged please?
Kathy Alexander responded the questions will be addressed during debate of Agenda Item 3 this evening.
Jennifer Bantow asked the following questions in relation to Agenda Item 3 - Johnstone Park Raingarden – Submissions Review Panel:
Recommendation 1:
Approve the raingarden project to proceed subject to the following conditions:
replacement tree canopy to be achieved within two years in the vicinity of the raingarden development.
Discussion
There will be a net loss of 15 trees within the project area (22 removed, 7 gained) (Attachment 2 Issue / Concern 2). 2017 marks the centenary of the final completion, in June 1917, of the Geelong Town Hall, to the original 1854 plans of architect Joseph Reed.
QUESTION:
Could Council please consider expanding Recommendation 1.1 to include the words … that at least 22 trees, or more, be planted at the eastern end of Johnstone Park in the final design, ….that these trees be planted in a formal avenue, called the Centenary Avenue, along the proposed pathway (eleven trees on each side), from Gheringhap Street to the top of the steps or in some other appropriate place at the eastern end of Johnstone Park?
Heritage Victoria have issued Permit Application P25917 Permit Date issued 17 March 2017 Heritage Victoria Condition 3 prior to commencement of work, an existing conditions planting plan (identifying all trees and features) is to be prepared. A full landscape and planting plan is to be prepared and will be developed and overlay landscaping as shown in the 1931 aerial photograph and this is to be forwarded to Heritage Victoria for endorsement.
Discussion
A full planting and landscape plan of Johnstone Park is to submitted to Heritage Victoria for endorsement before work starts.
QUESTION:
While Council staff are undertaking the planting and landscape plan required by Heritage Victoria, would Council consider adding the following specific additions to their recommendations:
That the following be undertaken in addition to the planting and landscape plan required by Heritage Victoria:
a review of the Johnstone Park CoGG Heritage Overlay, to include naming of avenues and walkways
an updated or new Conservation Management Plan of Johnstone Park restoration of the William Stitt Jenkins drinking fountain (1860)
Recommendation 2):
Refer submissions received relating to the broader Johnstone Park Concept Plan to the Johnstone Park Masterplan process.
QUESTION:
Could Council please consider adding the following specific recommendations to Recommendation 2):
That the Masterplan include (among other matters brought up in Submissions):
retention of the Robert Hoddle original boundaries (1838), and there to be no areas of Johnstone Park excised;
recommendation to discourage commercialisation of Johnstone Park;
that the Johnstone Park Masterplan include that a full inventory and mapping of all the heritage places, buildings, plaques, statues, sculptures, seats, and other structures, in Johnstone Park be undertaken, and a full mapping and inventory of all the trees and other plantings in Johnstone Park also be undertaken;
that all heritage listed places in the Johnstone Park vicinity be conserved.
Kathy Alexander responded the questions will be addressed during debate of Agenda Item 3 this evening.
Lex Chalmers addressed Council as follows regarding Johnstone Park Raingarden:
I refer to a 'mediation' 27 February held with Council officers Paul Jane and Tom Kelly. I was told that the stormwater holding tank would be enlarged from 150KL to 250 KL, enabling reticulation to the park beyond the 'closed' system only serving the Raingarden originally proposed. I have not seen this in writing, and I ask that this improvement to the design be confirmed. I also note that the Heritage Victoria Permit P25917 Condition 2 refers only to endorsing 'full design and construction drawings of the Raingarden (including) details of stormwater tank', and does not refer to extending pipes through the balance of the Park. Would a further HV permit be required to excavate for more pipes to enable more extended reticulation of the storm water than that originally proposed? If so, I ask that an application be forwarded to HV as soon as possible, so that proposed works in the balance of the park can be assessed and hopefully approved to enable increased sustainability of the park in drought circumstances.
Re re-use of timber from the 22 Silky Oaks to be removed from Johnstone Park - On 27 March I spoke to Alan Dawson of the Environment Team who informed me that some of this valuable weather-resistant timber (also used for furniture) will be saved, as the tender for their removal specifies that any timber over 300 mm thick is to be retained. This is a positive move. However I wish to point out that artists, sculptors and groups of people such as wood turners may be able to use timber of this quality of lesser size than 300 mm, and request that the council seek expressions of interest (or other process) to enable its use in order to encourage a more positive outcome from the trees’ removal.
Re referral of submissions 'relating to the Johnstone Park Concept Plan to the Johnstone Park Masterplan process' (CoGG letter 17 March) - I understand that work on the Masterplan is now in progress. While I participated in the initial Johnstone Park Stage 2 and 3 consultation, and I have expressed my views against the potential closure of Mercer Street and demolition of three heritage buildings to enable extension of the boundary of the park by .9ha, I hope that further community consultation will occur before the Masterplan is finalised to enable others to have input. On their behalf I wish to enquire when that consultation will be held.
Kathy Alexander responded the questions will be addressed during debate of Agenda Item 3 this evening.
Doug Carson, Co-ordinator Festival of Glass in Drysdale, asked the following:
We recently held our annual Festival, however many people were hampered by the road closure and more importantly, evidently the lack of signage directing drivers to the festival. I understand that you have had a least one letter of extreme angst at the situation but we can tell you that the majority of comments to our people manning the entry point to the stadium was the traffic problem.
This is the second time this has happened in the past five years and we do not want to see it happen again - the road closure creates an impossible problem. We were informed, some time ago, of the event and were told that we would have specific signage directing traffic to the Festival, and we now know that adequate signage was not in place. Why else would people say there was a problem. Our Festival is becoming a massive event on the calendar of Geelong and any road closures in future must be planned for another Sunday than the third Sunday in February.
Brett Luxford advised he was happy to work with the Festival of Glass in addressing the concerns and managing a solution.
Helen Lucas addressed Council in relation to the removal of trees in Johnstone Park:
Couldn’t the Rain Garden be created in the grassed sunken area – removing the need to destroy any trees, as it is impossible to replace mature trees?
Brett Luxford responded Council considered a whole range of possibilities to identify a suitable site, but as the venture is a tiered Rain Garden, its proposed location is the most suitable.
Nil.
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