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May 13th, 2008
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Building Infrastructure Using New Local Employment Programs
This would be a great start into reviving Coffs Harbour. It has some innovative concepts that could and should be used by all councils around Australia.
Well all towns have the same problem. There’s never enough cash to build footpaths and the most basic of services. Administration costs are where our taxes are hiding forever. But that’s another issue I wont go into today.
Okay we have employment course schools, disability services, various other employment groups, volunteer groups and many pensioners and people out of work that would be just happy to be doing something constructive for their town and for themselves.
How about we get some of those people sitting down all day doing little to get together with all these groups and say this is what we need in our town and this is how we’re going to do it.
Councils:
· Don’t keep taking our government taxes without providing real visible results.
· Provide real work experience and real visible results back to our community.
· Have people teaching people the value of real visible results.
· Give people back some dignity within their lives with real physical visible results for what they are doing.
· Train people and build local services and infrastructure at the same time.
All these educational and employment courses that go no where, programs that just eat taxes, people displaced, people that have lost their respect for how society operates and the list goes on. We need to make a stand and build programs that show real visible results. People hear enough rhetoric and they just want results.
§ Get all these groups and volunteers together and start redirecting there past courses into real projects.
§ Compile all the projects into groups.
§ Organize the most suitable and willing people into those building groups.
§ Use existing trained workers, council and schools to coordinate programs.
§ Supply materials and equipment for all projects.
Example: Footpath building.
Gutter building.
Creek cleaning, gardening and replanting.
Nature scaping our foreshores.
Park cleaning, trimming, replanting, and branch mulching.
Bench seat construction and placement.
Railway Station Rebuilding: Incudes builders, and some of the above.
Playground construction.
Wall murals, art painting and installing ornamental Bollards.
Painters – general painting.
Machine operators – experienced bobcat and loader operators.
Since our taxes are being used to train people at least train them by showing them real results of what they can achieve. This technical on the job training and work is well worth our tax outlay both to the community and also back to the participants.
Lets be honest with many people and say look many of you most likely will never get a proper full time job but at least building infrastructure and by doing community projects you’ll at least be feeling useful and wanted. This is the honest truth the government and local councils need to put that out there and accept that fact.
Many older people and people with disabilities will never go into full time employment no matter what courses or programs they undertake. Trying to make politics out of it in any other way would be just conning people. Towns like Coffs Harbour are not industrial manufacturing based towns and it will never become that way.
That’s not to say that people that undertake these council projects would not get full time jobs. In fact it’s at least giving them some practical hands on experience that could lead to other future job prospects. But there will always be a large percentage of people that will never be employed in the past normal ways.
In theory Coffs Harbour and many other towns could have potential work forces of over a thousand people in their area. Image what could be achieved with these extra people working everyday around our town. Obviously there would be a turn around of people constantly but this wouldn’t matter, as it’s all part of the process. There would also be many volunteers I’m sure that would be happy to provide real results for their local communities as well.
Relying wholly and solely on our local councils like in the past simply no longer works. Funds are just squandered away due to bad work practises, mismanagement, poor choices, over administration and the list could go on.
This town needs footpaths and gutters and all this council needs to do is to pay for the materials and supply the equipment. The people and required experience are already available within our town, they are already receiving subsidies and payments in various forms and volunteers will no doubt also surface given the opportunity to do so.
There would be hundreds of experienced people out of the work force that would no doubt take an interest in building our town’s infrastructure to an acceptable level. Ask for volunteers and see what happens. Council and schools have plenty of people that could coordinate such programs.
Many other programs using the same workforce can also be used to clean out creeks, really clean all our parks and remove all the crap and tree branches that always get missed and left behind. Tidy up and beautify our whole town and incorporate many projects of beautification around our foreshore area. Clean up all the rubbish littering our town.
Take on community building projects that council can never do or would never do. There is just so much that could be done with such an assimilation of people and projects for this town of Coffs Harbour. Thinking outside the box to get things done is all it takes and the will by people to make a difference.
Councils will continue to squander away our taxes for years to come unless people take a stand and say hang on a minute, you’re not giving us good value for money and we can most likely build several projects for just the cost of your one using our new local employment programs to build infrastructure.
Outside contractors will always overcharge on services and supply of goods because they’re in it to make a profit. And although there’s nothing wrong with that it affects the community in that there’s never enough funding to pay for the things we really need. Jobs are always left in limbo and wait for funding. Funding that is usually just wasted anyway simply because of the way its managed.
There are times when we absolutely have to get jobs done for the benefit of the whole community and for the future economic existence of the whole town. Coffs Harbour and many other towns are now facing that situation because the construction of infrastructure and many others much needed projects were never completed and cannot be completed in the past normal ways of management.
Using existing community people and resources can and would solve this problem by simply thinking in different ways. Getting real results in a short period of time.
If City Councils aren’t prepared to start thinking in these terms then its time to get new people at the top that can think this way. Stop waiting for handouts and start using the money you do get more wisely.
Read my section on “Coffs Harbour Council Can’t Manage Money So Let Me Show You How”. As this will get you thinking in the right frame of mind and you’ll be able to take on so many more projects. In time of real need you take on help from all avenues? Don’t wait for years to get jobs done you can complete in no time at all.
Wouldn’t it finally be something to see say an extra thousand or more people around our town working on real projects giving a real visible result? What a sight and incentive to the rest of Australia that would be with real people making new things for their community everyday. I think this to be a revolutionary change as to how things could be done from now on. This is the innovative change Australia needs.
Setting Priorities
Most city councils always seem to have pet projects they seem to want to push rather than to look at the big picture. Wake up councils and start looking around in your community and do the basics first.
Footpaths, gutters, street lighting, camera security in area hot spots, signage, bike paths, community awareness programs, street rubbish cleaning by people not machines, and the list can go on.
Once you’re making a start on these “ongoing” programs and I highlight the word ongoing because few towns have all these services up to scratch then you’re ready to also start at the same time to look at the economic future existence of your town.
If you’re not thinking employment and in the terms of economic futures for at least the next 20 years in advance then get out of your job and let people whom do think this way into your seat. If you even lack the understanding of this concept then its time to move over.
You have to be able to earmark projects well in advance but more importantly you need to be thinking change all the time. If you can’t grasp that concept and you can’t see what needs to be done then again move over and let others take your place.
If you don’t have the ability to see that new local employment programs to build infrastructure can work for your community then again get out of your job. You’re holding back your local community by simply being dead wood.
Coffs Harbour Council Can’t Manage Money So Let Me Show You How
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to learn how to get the best value out of your money. Coffs Harbour City Council doesn’t get good value for money nor do they have a clue how to spend what they do have.
But it’s not just this council it’s all Australian government departments. Money is handed to these areas of management but then little thought is ever put into how they can actually get more for their money simply because they can’t think outside the box.
Its always the easy way out just to spend everything you get on projects without investigating better options. The trouble with many government departments is that they’re always thinking if we don’t spend it this year the Federal government will think we don’t need anymore. This has always been a hidden attitude and in many cases they’re right so the Federal government need to change this attitude as well.
But as many mothers will know who have to budget to get groceries in the home each week you have look for specials, bargains, mark downs and what ever it takes to feed your family. You can’t waste what little you have and still pay the bills.
Councils and government departments don’t work this way because it’s not coming out of their own personal pockets. So I’m going to try and outlay some plans for councils to follow so they can perhaps learn how to get more for their money.
Lets start with some very basic examples of what you can achieve immediately.
Recently I had to have a tree cut down and I was quoted $600.00 by two independent contractors. I went into a hardware store and bought a low cost chainsaw, fuel and oil and cut it down for well under $200.00.
So I got the same job done for one third of the quoted price, which means I still have enough funds to most likely go and do another two projects of the same cost.
Example 2/. Council wants to redesign a park with a total quote of $3,000.000.00.
I can build the same park for $1,000.000.00
So with the spare $2,000.000.00, I can build a new railway station or whatever projects.
So using your past project cost forecasting I can build a $6,000.000.00 project with the $2,000.000.00 I have left.
How can I possibly do this all the councillors will say?
They said they have their firm quotes and they did their homework or did they?
It’s not that you didn’t get the right quotes its where you got them from in the first place and procedures you could have bypassed and saved money on along the way.
Think home shopping and imagine it’s coming out of your own personal pocket.
How could you save money and still have money to spare?
Okay look I haven’t all your figures so I’ll just give some very rough examples:
Your design costs from a local firm and lets just say $200,000.00.
My design costs $0.00. From the local university students drafting classes. These are the designers of tomorrow.
Your project labour costs quote from a firm: $1,800.000.00.
My labours cost $0.00. By using my new local Employment Infrastructure Building Programs. Using already funded programs but restructured.
Your building materials cost $1,000.000.00.
My building materials cost $1,000.000.00. With better shopping I bet I could most likely reduce this figure by another $200,000.00. But I wont count this or match my abilities against the council spending techniques in this example.
So here’s just one three million dollar project very simplified for example purposes, which with careful consideration could be reduced by two million dollars. Just by using resources differently and thinking outside the box.
Obviously not all projects can be built this way but most can and that’s where you’ll save. But rather than thinking outside the box councils and government departments don’t have the interest in getting more bang for their dollar simply because its not coming out of their own personal pockets.
They should be thinking in these terms though because then our local community will get the better services they’ve been waiting for a lifetime.
More projects will be completed in a shorter period of time.
Tourism numbers will sky rocket in a shorter period of time.
Our town and everyone will benefit.
So many projects around the town could be completed with the money you’re all wasting now. Take the steps to follow these plans and you’ll see what I mean.
If local councils can’t grasp the concept of Building Infrastructure Using New Local Employment Programs I’m happy to set these in place for them for free.
If local councils can’t grasp the methods for this town of low invasive tourism development I’m happy to set these in place for them for free.
I can also out line many other methods to save on money even on very small projects that will yield you greater completion rates.
There’s nothing wrong in getting help from your local community to build a better town with better infrastructure and services.
It’s just a different way of thinking.
Marked Bicycle Lanes
Coffs Harbour needs to specify exactly where bicycles can and cant go along with better signage including the painted bike logos on roadsides. Have several complete tour routes planned out for tourism and locals alike.
Upgraded Tourism Signs
Bigger better brighter tourism signs leading to all our larger attractions and shopping areas need to be displayed on all major roads so visitors can find them.
Even signs to our beach areas, as many people passing through don’t even know we have beaches or a fine jetty area precinct.
Standardize signs to an acceptable level in size and colour making them standout.
Provide a new tourism service board where a new railway station should be and one in the central town area as well. They can be placed on several blank walls around the town.
A Foot Bridge From Marcia Street Over To The Coffs Harbour Botanic Gardens
A new footbridge from the very end of Marcia Street over to our Botanical Gardens would open the gardens to the more central town area so public can access the gardens better and visitors will find it better from our main arterial road. This would also be a huge success with tourism, walkers and perhaps add a bike trail section as well. A great investment for the long-term viability of our beautiful and well under rated Botanic Gardens.
A Pedestrian Crossing At The Traffic Lights From Park Beach Plaza To Home Base.
Why this was never made is a mystery to me but a pedestrian crossing at the lights is a must and a safety issue, which needs to be resolved.
Car Access At The Traffic Lights From Park Beach Plaza Into Home Base.
This is another one of those poor developmental mysteries that should have been in place from day one. Drivers are used to stopping at lights and they’re stopping anyway so at least plan it better so we can access each shopping area equally from one to the other.
Automate Our Traffic Lights For Pedestrians At Auto Changing Lights.
In other words take away the buttons on all our traffic lights that change automatically and have that little green man come up whenever the lights change. If the lights change automatically we shouldn’t have to press any buttons and it always seems you’re waiting twice as long if you don’t press it on time or just miss the changing cycle. This should be done Australia wide.
Our Central Town Shopping Areas Are A Mess
Better planning and a total new approach needs to be in place promoting our central strip shopping areas into more viable alternatives. If required the town may need to consider redeveloping and acquiring many street properties into redesigning the whole towns centre.
Instead of just one main street, design it into a better mix and more defined shopping experience. Otherwise we’ll just have more streets of ugly offices and shops that continually go broke and change hands with no clear definition of shopping areas. Currently there are retail shops all over the place. A total modern redesign is needed. Perhaps including the shifting of all offices and service type businesses into and above the retail areas.
We basically have no real heritage buildings in our central area so a development of this scale is well warranted and could only improve the total business outlook of the town as a whole. Currently our central city town has moved into death mode. It’s finished and is unattractive.
It could be built in stages and current owners could easily be incorporated with their “own your own stores” of equal size within the project. Everyone can benefit from such a development. The central shopping area could be totally revitalized and designed in a more uniform modern way to suit our particular area.
Have better outdoor eating areas and brighter concepts with an emphasis on showing off our climate. More sculptures, wall paintings and much more colour with nicer walking areas between stores keeping the strip shopping concept. Making it so much more inviting to tourism, locals and visitors alike. Currently our city centre is dead. It’s uninviting and lacks design and is ready for burial. The existing whole face of our town of Coffs Harbour is that of despair.
So many businesses have closed and walked away. Its not just the economy it’s the way the whole town is structured. People don’t like to walk a half a kilometre between city shopping with nothing in between. We have retail shops scattered everywhere and nowhere. What an absolute mess it is.
Beach Scaping Our Walking Paths And Grassed Areas
Our beach areas are indeed very beautiful but they’re run down and are in total disarray. How about consider adding some painted theme bollard totems and sculptures in the grassed areas. Perhaps some more big thing attractions which always create interest with visitors and tourists alike. Here are some samples off my Australian Pictorials site: http://www.australianpictorials.com/big_thing_icons.html
Have a yearly big thing sculpture contest and have many wining sculptures added around the whole town. We have many parks where they can be permanently placed.
Small cash prizes can be offered but it’s more about the prestige of having their art permanently displayed within our town.
Build wider concrete walking paths in beach areas so people can use skates and bikes and have path sections specifically marked for them. Currently if you push a pram along there then that’s all the room there is. It’s a total joke. Along the sides of many paths incorporate landscaping and art. All these projects can really be made using no cost labour to the council. All council needs to do is to provide the materials.
Our Coffs Harbour pier is about as interesting and useful as a pile of driftwood.
It doesn’t have to be overdeveloped to look better. Perhaps add some sun shades and some seating in a few areas along the pier so people can picnic on there. And perhaps some colourful sea theme painted bollards. Local schools and universities usually have a good input into these type of projects. Art can add colour and life to so many dead areas around the town.
Perhaps some ferry cruises could also be run from the lower boat access area on the pier as well. Allow some low level selling on the pier on Saturdays and Sundays like by say painting artists and sculptures.
Allow say an ice cream seller and a couple of controlled snack food sellers to lease areas permanently on the pier.
These are all very low-level developments but will improve the overall outlook on our existing features.
Servicing Our Community Interests
Our town like most is made up of a diverse amount of people with many varied interests. Currently many clubs have little to no access to permanent secure buildings for their hobbies and interests.
These clubs are mainly non-profit and in most cases with no income. Serving our community is not always about making money from them. And our local society lacks access and funds to create their own locations for the continue support of their club members.
The council needs to provide a free development park for the establishment of free club services for our Coffs Harbour Community.
Basically back areas near the showgrounds could be established as a community interests park area. Grants could be made available to build some standard sized buildings to various capacities to suits general club use. Use our grants to establish a long-term future for our resident’s community needs.
Some buildings could be shared use and others with more specific equipment needs could be for sole use. A community process could be in place to determine what is actually needed for the area and clubs could submit their interest with current member numbers and requirements so plans can be outlined for the community as a whole can be established. Clubs could contribute toward their power and water cost but other than that the buildings usage would be free as a community service.
You’ll no doubt find that some clubs would be happy to supply some costs and materials toward their own permanent buildings if the land area were to be made available. A public consultation process would reveal the area of interest.
For Tourism Consideration
Coffs Harbour is a poorly planned town that is composed of ad hock building development and poor planning decisions.
Any visitors to this town can clearly see this and because of this Coffs Harbour is not at its peak in regards to being a tourism destination.
The first and most basic area to look at is bringing people to this town and then showing them what we have. Currently these services are barely in place. Use your tourism levies to do this. If tourism operators can see real big dollar returns for their money they wont mind paying out a levy.
A New Railway Station and Incorporated Tourism Centre
First Consideration.
Rebuild a new railway station on the left hand side of the railway gates near the jetty. This to incorporate a larger visitors centre that also takes accommodation bookings for the whole area. Incorporate bicycle rental, motorbike tours, whale tours, carriage rides into town and back. Accommodation businesses just pay a small fee per booking as a commission to pay for the central booking service.
The new railway station to incorporate a huge car park area and a sealed area for regular markets say four days per week. This would be part of a tourism draw card and provide a much needed employment incentive for the area. This would take up that current whole grassed section opposite the roundabout.
If utilized properly the four-day market could also be a huge success with many existing local businesses. Overseas in places like Amsterdam many storeowners take up market stalls as well increasing on their existing sales especially to people that may not normally buy from them.
The construction of this type of project is not obtrusive to the area as it’s already used for most of these services anyway. The area is already used as a car park and market on a regular basis now. The only difference would be its use would be expanded upon. The benefit to the whole community and the generated employment would be substantial. Making the whole town a more viable tourism option.
Then have a free bus/s ( Colourful Double Decker preferred ) that would do a stop circuit of all the shopping areas around the town. From the new railway station up to the Harbour drive stores and then over to Park Beach Plaza Complex and Homebase and then back to the station.
Then to organize a train up and back two days per week to Kempsy and two days per week up and back to Grafton. People should be able to catch trains at say 7 am in the mornings from both towns and leave to go back home from Coffs Harbour say from 4 pm giving a great full day of shopping all around our town. All travel days to coincide with the four-day market. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are suggested. These sizable towns give a two-way tourism traffic option not only to Coffs Harbour but also to these other towns.
It would be suggested that these other towns take place in the mutual train benefit plan. Both these towns are within a realistic travel time each way.
The existing old railway station and area could best be used as a transit delivery port for our region again providing more employment opportunities. It could also be the best place to store a tourist train for the region. There are so many other options to mention about low-level development, but this is just a bit to consider for now.
Our beach precinct should be our central tourism focus for tourism and its all just being left behind. This is where our tourism office needs to be with all highway signs pointing to it big time. Then direct people from there to our city central area and accommodation areas. All bookings for anything that happens in Coffs Harbour should be taken from this area. Having a central tourism and booking office for the whole town.
Be it accommodation, picture theatres, shows, events whatever should all be handled from here. All the concerned venues just pay a small commission fee for the booking service or it could all be done for free run by the council as a tourism incentive and as part of the tourism levy. Or make it a combination of the two.
New Tourism Shopping Development Should Be Considered
Like many coastal towns their survival and economic future is based on tourism. Eventually there will be a bypass highway around Coffs Harbour and this will have an enormous impact on employment and the economy within the town. So forward planning should start now.
The town needs to be developed with better infrastructure and business opportunities need to be in place well before such a highway is in place. In other words we need to establish our presence as a preferred destination now before its too late. If we don’t I can tell you all now I’ve seen the results all around Australia of what happens. The town will just slip away out of view making it not viable for councils and employers alike.
Development can be progressive and non invasive at the same time which is the major theme this town needs to adopt. All the programs I’ve already suggested fall into this area of development. An under achieving area of our town is the shopping strip at the end of Harbour Drive near the beach foreshore area.
This area is extremely popular with tourists and really needs a face lift and some further development within the same precinct to not so much capitalize but more so to provide extra incentive for people to stay longer within our area. My suggestion is to relocate the existing Forestry Commission section to another more suitable part of town and use this land to provide a new and modern shopping centre specifically targeting tourism as the overall theme for the area.
Incorporate a modern and sculptured building approach, which in itself becomes an attraction with a host of stores that would interest the tourism sector. Have outdoor seating areas and an overall cosmopolitan view. Buildings to be ultra modern with colour and design standing out incorporating a host of sculptures, coloured wall murals and an overall sense of warm toward our area. Having this shopping area would also boost the existing shopping complex on the corner, which is also in need of a well earned make over.
Promote Our Walking Paths
Coffs Harbour has without doubt some of the best bush walking tracks in such a central area. And it’s time our local council started promoting this great tourist feature of ours. These bush walks all basically start from the central city area and can be followed all the way toward the beach. More visible and larger signs need to be in place at all access areas from the highways as well pointing to these bush walk features.
Currently Coffs Harbour is a great town of sitters and not walkers. This needs to change if not only for the sake of everyone’s health. I have never seen a town with so many school buses and kids not walking to school. It really is an indictment on our society that people have become so dependant on cars and public transport at the expense of their health.
I’m quiet sure schools could run an education program showing kids how to walk in groups to school with others in their areas or have one adult accompany them each day on a roster basis. Perhaps this is another campaign that needs to be targeted by our local council. “Walk To School Groups”. We have one of the mildest climates in Australia and we don’t even take advantage of it. Its no wonder so many people have become obese.
Council could use free TV community service announcements to promote school walking programs and our bush walking tracks as an ongoing community health program. I bet more than half the town doesn’t even know about the walking areas or the botanic gardens walk areas.
Assimilation Of Town Services
Coffs Harbour like so many towns have too many differences between departments and resources. This is where our tax money is being lost and just wasted.
Ideas To Consider
Current Council tree growing nurseries and land: Should be incorporated into our Botanical Gardens area.
Forestry’s and various land departments, emergency services, council work services and so on should also be incorporated into single shared properties. Vehicle servicing all performed by one department rather than each individual one. It makes sense to share equipment and services and this also makes it all stronger and more economical to run.
The doubling up of so many like services takes away our rates and spending capacity in areas where we really need it like in new infrastructure and development. The council properties that are freed up from these assimilations can be sold, developed and funds used for more important new infrastructure and development projects. Like a new railway station and tourism centre as already outlined.
These changes will make a big difference to the towns future and economy.
Where Have All The Flowers Gone?
We have the best climate but the most boring looking town. Where is the colour in Coffs Harbour? We have some medium strips on our main road in town from the central city to park beach plaza how about placing some flagpoles there, and adding some varied flags symbolizing our area. They could be changed at seasonal periods to reflect different times of the year. If you use metal flags they’ll last longer and will serve the same purpose. You just get the design sign written on to them.
Our town has large quantities of blank walls that could have murals painted on them rather than graffiti. I’m sure many schools, art groups and the local uni would have an interest in taking on such projects. Come on Coffs Harbour City Council isn’t there one person working there that can motivate and make some changes?
The whole outlook of a town can be transformed with art if done properly. Sheffield in Tasmania is a perfect example of what can be done to achieve this. It doesn’t even have to cost you a cent to do this. It just needs motivation and community involvement.
Coff Harbour City Council & Tourism Operators.
To all tourism operators, councillors and future councillors please consider why you are representing your local residents. Currently so many of the most basic services are being bypassed and have never been recognised as being necessary services. This town will never progress or become viable to business operators unless major changes are made. Currently businesses are going broke and are running at losses quicker than they can be established. Haven’t you all wondered why?
1/. Sealed Footpaths and Gutters
Coffs Harbour lacks sealed footpaths and currently people have to risk their lives and that of their children by walking on busy roadsides. Older people, people pushing prams, children and disabled people need sealed footpaths in all areas where they live.
Having to walk on wet, uneven grass and muddy areas is totally unacceptable and is in fact a disgrace in that these services should have been in place many years ago. Both in housing areas and commercial areas but the Coffs Harbour Planning Scheme doesn’t even have footpaths as a compulsorily building requirement.
If necessary the council should impose a special rate levy or borrow to ensure these most basic services are provided. All future building programs should also have these non-negotiable standards in place. An ongoing full time footpath building program should be in place immediately no matter what the cost and this should be a priority for the general public.
2/. Our Untidy Town
Coffs Harbour is no doubt one of Australia’s untidiest towns with refuse from take away businesses, supermarkets and bottle shops being the main cause. A special clean up rate should be charged to these businesses for the weekly cleaning of our streets and creeks. Not just the emptying of bins but real outdoor cleaning of our streets and creeks weekly. This clean up needs to be done with people not just cleaning machines.
Currently our main streets and creeks have been covered in litter for years. Our streets are littered with bottles, broken glass, take away containers and supermarket trolleys all of which end up in our creeks as well. This is the first face of tourism that our visitors see. Banning the sale of small glass drink and liquor bottles would also be a start in the right direction and to lobby the government to place a deposit on “all” plastic, can, and glass drink containers. Ban any form of container that can’t have a deposit placed on it. People will then go out of their way to collect refunds on them.
So what if we all have to pay an extra five cents on every container? You’ll get your money back if you do the right thing.
3/. Our Outdated Dog Laws
Our Rangers office receives thousands of complaints a year, which is a testimony that our local dog laws simply don’t work. It’s the job of our local council to represent our people and have laws changed as required or to lobby government for these changes.
Currently people can own as many dogs and cats as they please. Obviously if someone owns say five dogs it would be logical that this will become a noise problem for other residents. But the local dog barking laws are simply so outdated that stopping these problems is a never-ending task. The laws are outdated and should be bought in line with other more progressive states.
Expanding Our Aged, Mental Health And Disability Care Services
Coffs Harbour like most towns has a growing older population and it’s no doubt already maxed out to its limits just like most other towns and services. And with mental health and disability services it just the same situation.
This has dire consequences for many family members in that they’re forced to deal with situations they shouldn’t have too. People are forced apart into different towns and the list can go on.
Coffs Harbour City Council needs to take this matter to task now before the problem gets worse. Waiting for the government to bail you out will never happen so forward planning is needed now.
There are several site options like that of the old hospital site in the centre of town, which would make an ideal location for such a project. A buy back option should be investigated for such a project or there are several other options, which could take place and I’m sure council would be well aware of these.
The aged care and mental health retirement village should be established specifically for those that require varied intensive care and treatment taking the burden off our hospital system and families alike. Special government funding should be appropriated for such a project. It should also cater for all ages rather than just old age specific as many of these types of projects don’t do this.
Mental health is an enormous and growing problem within our society and it effects people of all ages and there is next to no facilities for long-term accommodation set a side for these people. Many end up on the street, in hospitals or become a major burden on relatives that simply can’t cope with the situations that arise.
At the end of the day the accommodation needs to be government funded or an affordable solution and not just built for the wealthy.
Jetty Upgrades And General Discussion
Although the idea of upgrading the Coffs Harbour Jetty is fine in theory the idea of starting such a project now would be too early at this stage of Coffs Harbours overall tourism and services development. Projects like this should be left for some time until you have a more established presence. To do this the new Railway Station and Tourism Office should take priority over all projects.
If incorporated into Coffs Harbour as outlined previously it should be a huge draw card bringing in a steady supply of travellers weekly from neighbouring towns by train to an ongoing all year round market. This would also be a huge attraction to travellers passing through the town. One only has to look at the Victoria Market in Melbourne to see how successful that is. And with our climate the success rate should be even higher. Boosting employment opportunities and tourism numbers.
Building Infrastructure Using New Local Employment Programs much of our town could be converted from its present standard to a vibrant investor-attracting magnet. If investors can see future growth taking place in advance they will come in droves to throw money into projects.
If the projects are chosen and planned in the right way you’re receiving a two-fold benefit to the town with the right type of low level development and infrastructure at the same time.
Taking a look at areas like Port Melbourne, Melbourne Docklands and Geelong Beach foreshore area you can see how these areas were transformed into tourism magnets. I’m not saying to go as far as some of these projects because that wouldn’t suit our area and would be over the top but it is an example of what can be achieved.
The Geelong beach foreshore development in Victoria would be the best example guideline as to what could suit our area. It’s a little compatible in features in that it has a boating area, beach area, extensive walking paths, car park areas, parks nearby etc. No two areas are the same but it’s just a development example of how they transformed their beach areas. We could learn from that incorporating our features instead and building on those.
Our beach or parkland nearby could incorporate a couple of children’s pools for safe swimming in the future plus a better family playground. Incorporate art in the area. Make things more interesting and inviting not just for tourists but also for locals alike. Provide better parking as what’s there now wont be sufficient in the future.
The Building Infrastructure Using New Local Employment Programs can undertake many of these projects.
In fact much of the required beach foreshore development could be done for an extremely low cost but the benefits would be enormous. It just requires some innovative thinking. Transformation from an ugly duckling to an attractive iconic area could be done in the matter of just a few months.
Changing Work Practises
Coffs Harbour like many towns have become harbours for bad and lazy work practises. It always comes down to our tax money being wasted and misused by local councils. Taking the easy way out and poor management has now cost us dearly.
Example: Before you mow grass the areas should be cleaned first of all rubbish, branches and refuge. Using Coffs Harbour as an example recently the grass was mowed along street areas and creek easements and all rubbish included was mowed in the process.
Now instead of having one item there’s ten pieces of the same. One bottle now 100 pieces of glass. The whole area that had hundreds of pieces of rubbish now has thousands of pieces of rubbish and it really looks and is bad. Not only for tourism but also for our local environment. All this junk ends up in our waterways and just mounts up wherever its left.
Clean up all rubbish and tree branches before you mow or don’t do the job to start with.
People that have lost interest in their jobs shouldn’t be in those jobs. Take a look at the creek easement area near the corner of Orlando street and the highway. There so much rubbish there it’s a joke. If I were in charge of that department within our Council I’d be ashamed to even work in this town. Hand in your job to someone who still cares! Now this is just one example and list could go on.
Perhaps the person in charge could get off their seat and personally clean up every piece of rubbish that is there, as a good will gesture to redeem them. Mind you they’ll be busy because it’s happening all around the town in the same way. Our creeks and street sidings are full of rubbish. We do have the untidiest town.
Using Innovation To Build Small Projects
Our town of Coffs Harbour has many small creek crossings within our town that require either new or future replacement walk bridges.
In most cases these are only small bridges that could simply be built using some second-hand steel beams mounted on some simple concrete stump blocks. Then bolt some timber over the top. These aren’t hard to make and could easily be made using new local employment programs.
Councils always like to use new because it’s an easy option because the payments aren’t coming out of their own personal pockets. This attitude needs to change. Using many recycled products like steel and timber to make community projects makes real common sense. You could most likely do three projects for the cost of each one just by doing this. Many of our beach foreshore projects could also incorporate much of this type of material where it’s practical to do so.
Tourism Development and Strategies
For most Australian towns tourism resides in a vacuum in that the obvious is never seen or acted upon. Facilitating and exploiting the benefits of our region are always compromised simply because of a basic understanding and ability by local councils and tourism operators alike that cant get on together.
· Councils have become political adventure grounds with set agenda’s that simply don’t work.
· Tourism operators are still living in the past with a lack of ability to see a different future.
These are very important factors to overcome before a town can even think about progressing with tourism related projects. Basically these two groups are always working against each another rather than joining forces and looking at the biggest picture. And it’s the biggest ongoing live reality program of all being the lifeblood and very existence of the whole town and region.
Even though you can throw money into promoting a town, tourism no longer works that way in that people want to see the bigger picture. Most people go on holidays these days not just to see one town. That’s the old past. People now want to explore “regions”.
What does your region have to offer as well as each town within that region?
Then there is the issue of town credibility.
Your town may have hundreds of accommodation places but unless your town promotes its man made and natural attractions it’s all a pointless waste of time and money.
Then the condition of your overall attractions needs to be up to a high enough standard to make people want to stay in your area.
How long they stay will depend on what you have to offer in your area.
How much they spend will depend on many factors which I’m not going to cover for now.
I could write several books on all these areas but I’m just going to summarize as much as I can for now.
First you need to establish a rating system within your town and then you need to establish a rating system within your region.
The Town Tourism Rating System
Imagine all tourists as just being travelling strangers.
· How easy is it to find your way around your town as a stranger?
· How easy is it to see signs to caravan parks?
· Are all your towns features clearly sign marked?
· How well do you cater for non-car travellers?
· Can they get here by train, bus, boat or aeroplane?
· Can the accommodation places be booked from a central town booking office?
· How easy is it to get to all the towns features?
· How tidy is the town?
· Can people walk easily around the place?
· Are all the shops within easy walking access?
· Do you have specific caravan and motor home parking areas available?
I’m not going to continue with this list because in theory it could be a several page long list. Once you’ve complied a really intricate list of everyday common questions you apply that to your regions list of other towns.
I’ve already outlined many features in Coffs Harbour that need major development and fixing before they could even be included as a successful town within a region so here lies the problem.
Why would or should any business person with any basic sound business skills even want to spend money promoting their business within this town if the council doesn’t come to the party as well? Sticking a pile of bricks together and saying now I’ve got a business no longer works, so if your local council doesn’t come to the table and look at the problems within the towns rating system your town will be doomed.
Strangers or tourists are used to receiving basic features wherever they go. If your town hasn’t got an acceptable level of basic features in place you’re just wasting your advertising dollar. Every dollar Coffs Harbour currently spends marketing is being degraded by the level of poor services and degraded features of the town as a whole.
It doesn’t pay to market a lemon and to be considered as being part of a successful region your town needs to be top notch and to an acceptable level.
There’s nothing wrong if a town is at least working on fixing the problems but towns like Coffs Harbour just aren’t putting their thought and energy into correcting the most basic of services. Money is not the issue here as it’s the missing enthusiasm that’s holding the whole town back from developing as a successful tourism location.
Coffs Harbour has slipped backwards and time is running out because to be part of this tourism region we need to show others we have what it takes to get our market share. The politics of councils has to stop and needs to be peeled back to sensible thinking and working in new ways to achieve goals to benefit the whole town.
Locals also play a huge part in this way of thinking in that they need to be realistic and expect change so employment can grow and be encouraged within the town.
If tourism development and changes aren’t made then investors and employment will suffer immensely making our local council unviable and unable to give us the services we all need.
If you want to be a successful tourism town you need to have enough attractions to keep people here for as long as possible. The longer they stay the more money they spend. The more they spend the stronger the town becomes as a tourism destination.
Building on the existing man made and natural attractions is the key to developing the town’s future.
Making A List Of Local Attractions
· Each town needs to make a list of local attractions.
· Then incorporate a time frame as to how long people will stay there.
· The more attractions your town can offer will most likely mean more people will stay in your town longer.
· Check and see if these attractions are being advertised and signed properly.
· Many other local businesses like accommodation, hotels, food stores, retail etc also depend on these factors.
· Other businesses need to realise that their existence and income is partly coming from the town’s attractions. They are the drawcards for the town.
How can your town build more attractions or improve attractions to keep people here longer you have to ask. Well I’ve covered some of these under a new railway station for Coffs Harbour with trips up an d back to our closest larger towns, incorporating a permanent four-day market, pier improvements, new shopping area near the jetty end of town and central city town improvements.
If Coffs Harbour can put this package together it will have a major tourism town and something worth marketing. It will also most likely become a part feature of this tourism region. Currently it’s just being left on the sideline.
This town needs major tourism growth and development to encourage more employment and stability for this region. If it doesn’t go ahead this town’s council will no longer be able to support the infrastructure needed to keep the town viable.
So many Australian towns and just fading out of view and have become local nightmares for councils because they can no longer cope.
Waking Up Can Be Hard To Do
Unfortunately most business and tourism operator’s fall into the category of people that just have a pile of bricks and expect people to just some how magically appear for them to make them a living. It’s quite funny too because they actually think its their right to get it that way. I suppose this is why there’s such a huge turnover in businesses and why so many make so little.
Tourism businesses need to depend more heavily on council support in development of attractions and ongoing town upgrades and services. Without this ongoing support the town will simply fade out of economic viability. This symbiotic relationship is absolutely crucial for the survival of this town.
Our council needs to bulldoze a head and push for a new railway station and tourism centre. And at the same time clean up and develop our foreshore to an acceptable level. Using the employment strategies I’ve set out the foreshore could be completed in a very short space of time. This is not an over done proposal of over development but rather a gigantic clean up and presentation improvement for the whole foreshore area. No high-rise buildings just new paths, some palm trees, sculptures, art, more car parks, and massive clean up opening the view to the sea. Let others see what we have and make it all more inviting.
Improvement could be done within a couple of months and the area would be transformed from the drab to something a little more special and things could be added bit by bit after the basics have been done. People travelling through our town would be lucky to even know that we have a beach area. Our overall current presentation is just that bad.
We’re not encouraging tourism in Coffs Harbour because our whole towns presentation is turning them away.
I think the biggest problem and hurdle to overcome is that local councils are made up of too many people with hidden agendas. They’re not thinking for the good of the community as a whole but rather over development and political agendas. Thinking too big and wanting too much rather than listening to what locals want.
This is the case everywhere within government and local councils. Spend, spend and more spend to get the biggest and best no matter at what cost. Coffs Harbour doesn’t need to be developed with over the top high-rise and beachfront apartments for the wealthy. It can still be a top tourism location without this. Only develop the areas to the required level of building up the existing attractions and improving on natural attractions like our beach areas.
Creating new low-level attractions will also improve tourism. High-rise developments will only degrade the atmosphere of our area and will not improve tourism or the overall outlook of the town. Improving our existing shopping town area could be redeveloped because its not an area with major historical buildings and its an area that would improve with a major make over.
There are people behind people in this town and other towns that secretly plot to get their agenda’s pushed through by selling off council and government land for over development which has always been the way. This form of corruption continues on everywhere and one has to say when will it stop? They only think of their own personal gain for their life time and no real interests in the future of this town or any other town they over develop.
Comment by picman2 — August 30, 2009 @ 11:01 am