Murray Bridge council watch: May 2023

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Murray Bridge’s mayor wants heavy vehicles off Maurice Road by 2026

Heavy truck traffic will be diverted off Maurice Road, Murray Bridge by 2026 if Wayne Thorley has anything to say about it.

At a meeting on Monday night, the city’s mayor confirmed that getting heavy vehicles off the increasingly busy road was still “one of my key aspirations for this term” in office.

One solution would be to improve the route north from the Monarto freeway exit to Mannum Road.

Progress will take time, but the wheels of the council machine are beginning to turn.

The council committee which deals with planning and infrastructure noted “the need for action to commence” at a meeting last month, and outgoing CEO Michael Sedgman said staff recognised that it was a top priority.

In the meantime, the top section of Maurice Road will soon be made safer for trucks to use.

Road-sealing works are almost complete on the section closest to the Old Princes Highway; and the last dirt section, between there and the Boral quarry at Rocky Gully, will be sealed in the near future.

The federal government recently awarded the council $900,000 worth of Local Roads and Community Infrastructure funding for the purpose.

That meant the council would be able to spend more of its own funds on repairing other roads, Mr Sedgman said.

Dog rego fees go up

Dog registration fees will go up by $2.50 per year for those that are desexed and microchipped, and $6 for most other dogs, in the Murray Bridge district this July.

Council staff suggested, and councillors agreed, that fees should be increased by 7.9 per cent, in line with inflation.

Still, the cost of registering a job will remain cheaper in Murray Bridge than all neighbouring districts except the Coorong.

Special rates will continue to apply for puppies, working dogs, greyhounds and owners with concession cards.

Memory box trial missed the mark, councillor says

All Lerwin Nursing Home residents deserve to have somewhere to keep special mementos, a disappointed Murray Bridge councillor says.

The nursing home recently trialled the use of “memory boxes” – a place to keep treasured items that could provide a memory cue for residents, and a talking point for visitors – in two residents’ rooms.

However, Cr Karen Eckermann – who had suggested the idea in 2021 – said she had wanted every resident to have to one.

“This was meant to be a generous initiative, not judged according to cost-effectiveness,” she said.

Every resident at the new Romani aged care facility had one, she said.

Why couldn’t those at Lerwin?