Only one person asked questions at the August 2020 Council Meeting. Penny Hamlet asked about the closure of the Franklin River Camping area.
Question 1
Did the Officer’s report which lead to the Administrator’s voting to close the reserve [Franklin River] mislead the Administrators by not including in the report that the Shire was eligible for 100% funding of grants up to $200,000 from round 2 of the Victoria’s Great Outdoors Camping and Caravan grants, applications for round 2 opened on 6 July 2020 and projects to address all of the risks identified in the report would have been eligible for a funding application?
Response
Applying for the grant would not resolve the problems experienced at that Park, even if Council had been fortunate to be successful in obtaining the full $200,000 grant. As outlined in the report, there is not a septic system that can cope with the over loading by campers emptying their portable toilets into it.There is no potable water on site, in addition to concerns with the trees. Even if Council had been successful in securing the full $200,000 grant amount it would not be adequate to address these issues.
Question 2
Will Council put on hold the request, to DWELP, to permanently change the reservation from “Camping” to “Public Purposes” only, until all avenues of funding to undertake mitigation works, including round 3 of the above mentioned grant have been exhausted?
Response
No, the resolution will be implemented as resolved by Council.
The Council Motion Adopted on June 24th read as follows:
RECOMMENDATION
That Council:
1. Closes the Franklin River Reserve by restricting camping to ensure public safety and preserve infrastructure for reasons outlined in this report; and
2. Requests the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) to change the reservation from “camping” to “public purposes” only.
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