Murray Bridge council watch: Councillors say no to fireworks at Diamond Park
Plus council committee members get a pay rise, a new showground group is formed and Cr Airlie Keen gets an award.
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Having fireworks at Diamond Park as part of this weekend’s Murray Bridge Glows festival would be too dangerous and disruptive, the city’s councillors have decided.
At a meeting last week, staff recommended that the Murray Bridge council spend $10,000 worth of ratepayers’ money on a “close proximity pyrotechnics” show at the festival.
But councillors rejected the idea almost unanimously.
Cr Karen Eckermann argued that setting off fireworks in the CBD would disrupt pets and wildlife, Cr Tom Haig said they were unnecessary, and even the usually bang-happy Cr Andrew Baltensperger said it would be a bad idea.
It would be good to include fireworks at the Glows festival, Cr John DeMichele said – but maybe next year, when wharf upgrades would be finished and it could return to the riverfront.
Councillors were told staff had failed to find a sponsor to pay for the fireworks because “sponsorship opportunities are more aligned to New Year’s Eve and the Sturt Reserve location”.
That was not good enough, Cr Tom Haig said.
“Last year … I was told that the reason we couldn’t get sponsorship for some of these events was that we didn’t have a full events team,” he said.
“We have one now, and part of that job, in my opinion, is to secure business sponsorship of these events.”
This year’s Murray Bridge Glows festival will be held from 5.30-9.30pm this Saturday night, August 24.
Committee members get a pay rise
How much should the members of council committees be paid?
While they’re more or less volunteer positions, the Murray Bridge council pays sitting fees and travel costs to members of its audit, planning and community advisory committees, plus the Lerwin Nursing Home’s governance committee.
Councillors voted last week to bump those fees up by a bit more than the rate of inflation, to a range from $50 per meeting for community advisory committee members to $575 per meeting for the chairs of the other three committees.
New group will manage Murray Bridge Showground
Eight local organisations have come together to chart a course for the future of Murray Bridge Showground, and any sporting facilities that might be built there.
The members of the showgrounds stakeholder group, officially recognised by the council at last week’s meeting, include:
- Lower Murray Vintage Engine and Machinery Club
- MEC Black Swans Rugby League Football Club
- Murray Bridge Agricultural and Horticultural Society
- Murray Bridge Basketball Association
- Murray Bridge City Lions
- Murray Bridge Riding Club
- Murraylands Community Men’s Shed
- Wanderers Cricket Club
The group will maintain ties with the state government’s Rider Safe program and communications company Thinxtra, both of which use the showground; and the Murraylands Cycling Club, Murray Bridge Little Athletics and Murraylands Gymnastics Academy, all of which have expressed an interest in potentially using it in future.
Members first met in November of last year.
Their priorities will be managing the showground day-to-day and finalising a concept plan for its future.
The showground was to have been the site of a new, $3.9-million indoor sports stadium until last September, when the plan was called off due to rising costs.
Murray Bridge’s basketball and gymnastics associations are still leading the charge for a new facility of some kind.
Councillor recognised for representing us to the Murray-Darling Basin
Cr Airlie Keen has been presented with a plaque for her service to the Murray Darling Association.
Mayor Wayne Thorley gave the knick-knack to Cr Keen at last week’s meeting to thank her for serving as a regional chair of the association in 2022-23.
That period included the staging of a national MDA summit in Murray Bridge.
Murray Bridge’s pool is attracting more swimmers, but losing more money
Murray Bridge Swimming Centre has reported mixed results in the wake of the 2023-24 swimming season.
The good news is that more than 37,000 people visited over the summer, almost 4000 more than the summer before.
The bad news is that the pool ran $43,000 over budget for the season, due mainly to maintenance costs and high staff numbers on hot days in January.
Staff suggested they would like to reintroduce hot food and other meal options at the pool kiosk this summer, with hopes of increasing sales.
Where’s His Majesty?
Finally, Cr Eckermann posed a curious and delicate question at the end of this month’s council meeting.
Why was the late Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait still on display in the council chamber, rather than King Charles III, who had been on the throne for more than a year now?
There had been delays with the issue of His Majesty’s official portrait by the federal Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, a staff member said, but it would be put up in the near future.
Mayor Wayne Thorley expressed his hope that the King would live long enough to see his picture finally go up.
Quote of the month
“No-one’s got a bigger pool than us. That’s why it costs so much money to maintain.” –Mayor Wayne Thorley
Clarification: This story has been updated to remove a comment incorrectly attributed to Cr Eckermann.
