THE first steps towards establishing a Friends of Willow Court group were taken tonight when the Derwent Valley Council sat down with the Willow Court working party for fruitful discussions. The meeting was a result of a motion I put to last month's council meeting, calling on the council to formalise its relationship with the working party by recognising it as a special advisory committee.
My colleague Councillor Judy Bromfield suggested the alternative of asking the working party to become a Friends group, and Mayor Martyn Evans made the necessary arrangements for tonight's meeting to discuss the matter.
Members of the working party will meet on Monday night to discuss terms of reference for the proposed Friends of Willow Court and I wish them well.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Perhaps the Friends of Frescati could be amalgamated into this group (or vice versa) - seems sensible to have all working towards a single aim?
ReplyDeleteLocal engineer says......
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the latest version of the Derwent Valley Gazette, I took the liberty of looking around on the net to investigate what is going on with Valley Vision, the Derwent Valley Council and Willow Court. I am really disheartened by what I have read.
The new Council has made a mistake by pushing out all of the people with years of experience working on the Willow Court project. Valley Vision hasn't simply been an expendable subsidiary of the Derwent Valley Council that has consumed resources and not delivered change. The truth is that the organisation delivered, despite continual and highly unpleasant opposition from a few poorly informed members of the community.
Your opposition to the planter boxes is based purely on aesthetic reasons, and is really disappointing. The truth about the boxes is that they have been built and installed in accordance with strict engineering and road safety standards. Furthermore, they have significantly reduced the local traffic speed and have provided a traffic island that assists my family to cross the street safely. The fact that you suggest removing the boxes and installing them at the wastewater treatment facility as a sustainable solution just demonstrates how poorly equipped you are to undertake a simple environmental and economic impact assessment. If the planter boxes are removed, you will make the street unsafe and yet again a popular strip for hooligans.
I appreciate that people give up their time to serve on Councils. However, based on reading your blog, I am not confident that the Derwent Valley Council has either the skills or the culture to do anything but talk about change at the Willow Court site. I am sure that by the next election nothing will have been achieved with respect to the site. Your comments about the site are nothing by juvenille hot air. There is no serious discussion about the complex legal, economic, engineering, heritage and general cultural issues associated with the development.
I hope tht the 'Friends of Willow Court' enjoy meeting every now and then over a cup of tea. I will continue to enjoy the services and infrastructure that Valley Vision delivered to the community. I sincerely hope that the new Council does not push our community back to where it was ten to twenty years ago. Valley Vision has put us on the right footpath; lets make sure we don't get run over by standing still.
Finally, I would like to state my appreciation to the two members of Valley Vision that have resigned from their positions. I am not sure why their resignations were on the front page of the Gazette. At a time when we are struggling with water, energy, infrastructure, health, education and financial issues, I would have thought that a multitude of other articles would have made the front page. But then again, maybe the Editor at the Gazette is as backward thinking as the elected members of the Council.
Local engineer says......
ReplyDeleteBased on reading your blog, I am not confident that the Derwent Valley Council has either the skills or the culture to do anything but talk about change at the Willow Court site. I am sure that by the next election nothing will have been achieved with respect to the site. Your comments about the site are nothing but juvenille hot air. There is no serious discussion about the complex legal, economic, heritage and general cultural issues associated with the development.
I hope that the 'Friends of Willow Court' enjoy meeting every now and then over a cup of tea. I will continue to enjoy the services and infrastructure that Valley Vision delivered to the community.
Jackass
ReplyDeleteTo Engineer your comments are very interesting & no doubt you are hoping to incite some sort of response. How about you put your name to your letter, it always helps when people know who they are talking to.
ReplyDelete"Local Engineer" my backside! An ill-informed twerp who has little idea of the original concept of Valley Vision, its aims and aspirations. The current Willow Court working party fits very well into that concept of community participation and forward thinking, so don't knock them! It is great to see that the new Council has grasped the issue by the throat and can be SEEN to be doing something.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the planter boxes are concerned, you are a lone voice in claiming their excellence - now that was a waste of good grant monies which could've been better spent elsewhere.
For your enlightenment, I understand that there is no longer an Editor appointed to The Gazette but the very pleasant young lady who is currently there is a Reporter and to disparage her as backward thinking is pretty gutless when you are not prepared to put your name to your inane, badly spelled and negative comments (which it seems you had to do twice!)
Jeff
Well hooray Jeff. It's the negativity and lack of foresight of those such as local engineer (?) which has held progress to its bare minimum in the valley and as far as achievements of Valley Vision perhaps these could be detailed? The community radio for example had been mooted long before VV were involved and anybody can apply for grants - how many did they apply for and not receive? Let not claims be made for things not initiated and completed by vv but do give them a fair go for those that have been. VV should never have been financed by the ratepayers, certainly not to the extent of two well paid staff anyway.
ReplyDeleteJan
The truth needs to be told and the council found out -
ReplyDeleteI can understand why Ian and Katrina have left Valley Vision. I am disgusted in the behaviour of the new council. Their behaviour has been disgraceful, bullying tactics and deliberate lies, especially by one of the Councillors, particular towards Ian, needs to be addressed. Good luck Ian and Katrina in your new jobs. I am glad you are out and away from that infected, mindless behaviour - what they call a Council that makes Friends Ha! what a joke!
Jeffery V - 'You are the twerp'
ReplyDeleteWell said Local Engineer it is refreshing to read what you had to say - I agree with everything. I absorbed the content not the error of spelling like Jeffery V obviously looks for! Shows what a shallow reader he is!
If local rate payers dig deep enough and find out more they may be very surprised at the role of the current Council compared to the contribution Valley Vision has made over a long period in conjunction with many local residents.
ReplyDeleteJeffery V seems to have an open mind and seems supportive of robust open disucussion rather than comments like "jackass" which is symptomatic of intellectual giants.
Eventually the current Council will be found out, it will only take time to see them fall flat on their faces (it will happen).
Us as ratepayers are going to be funding this new Council's mistakes; in recent months decisions have been taken without any thought to the cost to us. A very small group will bring the Valley down unless you show a spine and stand up for your rights. It's not too late.
Local engineer says...
ReplyDeleteI have just arrived back in Tasmania and was really interested to see the responses that my posting created.
Just wanted to point out that I will continue to stay anonymous. There is no way I want to be subjected to the kind of bullying treatment (in person or on the internet) that I have heard about by the 'Bester gang'.
I also apologise for any spelling errors. I wrote my posting late at night on a foreign keyboard. Combine that with the fact that I sometimes jumble up the five languages that I speak when I am tired, the occassional mistake is forgiveable.
Still disappointed to see that nobody from the 'Bester gang' can actually respond with anything of substance. Strikes me that these people are very good at dishing out a whole heap of hate, but can't handle anyone questioning them. Really great people to have representing us......
Nice to see a few people wrote back in support of what I had to say! Seems like my opinions are not in isolation, but represent the silent members of the community who genuinely feel like they can't effect change in such a bullying environment.
I really hope something is done to curb the kind of thug-like atmosphere associated with the council. It is not good for the community.
Are we to infer from your comments that anyone here who agrees with Councillor Bester on matters is to be part of his "gang"? Does that same twisted logic apply to the other Councillors, who have the capacity to vote on matters that impact ratepayers? Are they too in his "gang"?
ReplyDeleteMy opinions of things like planter boxes, roads,rates,Valley Vision & Willow Court are my own - and I, like yourself are entitled to them. It does not do well to infuse healthy debate with personal attacks.
I must say I admire Damian Bester for putting some of the above comments up on this blog. It does demonstrate his commitment to openness and transparency and it really is a shame that the claimed multi-lingual self-titled local engineer makes very unsubtantiated personal remarks without the courage to type his name - lack of intestinal fortitude! A 'Bester Gang' indeed, what a load of rubbish. It seems to me that the ratepayers are at last being represented by a team pulling together under the leadership of Mayor Evans, so ignore the nasty comments and keep forging ahead all councillors. The 'silent' majority is what elected you - yea!!!!
ReplyDeleteElaine
well good on the engineer for being an intelligent contributor. It seems that you have done your homework and know the facts. Let's hope more people will do so and make up their own minds instead of believing everything that is put in front of them. As those informed people will know, Valley Vision has indeed contributed much more to the Derwent Valley than planter boxes. Thank you to Ian and Katrina for your persistance with delivering all the projects that Valley Vision has. Your hard work has not gone without notice and the groundwork you have done will continue to be evidenced in the future. The Valley Vision Board is at arms length from Council and should continue to be so. Good luck to them for the future. Let's hope the Council can see Valley Vision's value and vision and assist instead of hindering to move forward and not backwards.
ReplyDeleteWhat a load of motherly rubbish. Don't be fooled!! Because us the ratepayers are going to be taken for a RIDE
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Anonymous - EFB !!
ReplyDeleteA level of crap only a mother would defend
Engineer - because you have done your homework you have caused a HEALTHY DEBATE - well done. Look forward to your next blog
ReplyDeleteComment on this posting has now closed. Please refer to my new post "I love free speech" for details. Thanks to all who have participated.
ReplyDelete