Murray Bridge council watch: December 2021
A silo artist is chosen, a lack of bushfire preparedness causes concern, new street names are approved and more.
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Aerosol artist Smug chosen to paint Murray Bridge’s silos
An internationally renowned Australian street artist has been selected to paint a mural on Murray Bridge's silos.
Smug, AKA Sam Bates, is known worldwide for his photo-realistic aerosol art, which has appeared on apartment buildings and walls across Europe, Australia and North America.
He has most recently been working with Melbourne collective Juddy Roller, the group which created Australia’s first silo art trail.
Mr Bates is expected to meet interested community members at an online workshop at 5.30pm on February 21.
He’ll then be asked to develop three concept designs based on the ideas brought up at that workshop, plus the results of a recent community survey and submissions from local schoolchildren.
Community members, councillors, silo owners Viterra and tenants Sunpork will all get to have their say before a final design is selected in March.
The silo artwork is expected to be painted in April or May.
- Register for the workshop: us02web.zoom.us.
Lack of bushfire preparation sparks concern
Residents of bushfire-prone parts of the Murray Bridge district say not enough locals are prepared for the worst.
People living at White Hill, Rockleigh and several towns around the district expressed their concerns to the council at meetings about its emergency management plan late last year.
They said too many people:
- Didn’t realise the danger they’d be in if a bushfire broke out
- Didn’t realise how important it was to have a bushfire plan
- Didn’t know what they’d do in an emergency
Community members questioned whether Avoca Dell Reserve was really safe enough to be used as a last resort refuge during a bushfire.
Others suggested adding Baker Reserve at Wellington, the Pallamana airfield or Callington Memorial Hall as last resort refuges.
The council committed to holding an annual event where residents could come and get help to create bushfire plans, and to reviewing its roadside vegetation and weed management strategies.
- Create a bushfire plan for your household: www.cfs.sa.gov.au.
- Find your nearest last resort refuge: www.cfs.sa.gov.au.
Eight new street names approved
The Murray Bridge council has approved names for several new streets to be built in local subdivisions.
Six streets at Hindmarsh Estate, off Hindmarsh Road, will be named after known river shipwrecks in the Murray Bridge district: Columbia Drive, Murrundi Crescent, Bejo Avenue, Eva Place, Merle Street and Roma Court.
Two streets in a subdivision at Swanport will be known as Tully Lane and Bodie Lane, after the developer’s grandchildren, despite council policy recommending against using living people’s names for roads.
East side waste water answers are a way off
Murray Bridge East residents will have to wait until the second half of 2022 to find out whether a sewage system will be needed in their neighbourhood.
At the Murray Bridge council’s last meeting, CEO Michael Sedgman said work was progressing well on an assessment of septic tanks and soakage trenches in the area, which would determine whether a new solution would be needed.
He expected to find out more about the costs of any such solution by the third quarter of the calendar year, at which councillors would return to the issue.
Residents have expressed concern that a sewage scheme could be expensive, and could lead to too much new development in the relatively well-to-do area.
Department has its eye on safety at Mypo turn-off
The state Department for Infrastructure and Transport has not committed to any improvements at the Mypolonga turn-off, the intersection of Mannum Road and Dean Jaensch Road at Murray Bridge North.
However, in response to a suggestion by Councillor Andrew Baltensperger last July, it promised to monitor the T-junction for a while and assess whether new safety measures were needed.
That can probably count as a win for Cr Baltensperger, who has made regular requests of the department during his time on the council.
