The Weekly Times - TWT - 27th March 2019

We’ll take two million dollars from
Hunters Hill, vows Ryde councillor
I’ll take the two million dollars ! Ryde Clr Roy Maggio
is pictured at Westminster Park which he says is ready
to take the synthetic turf promised to Gladesville Reserve.
TWT on-the-spot PHOTO
Call for Applications
RYDE ClubGRANTS Scheme
Local clubs in the City of Ryde support local community
organisations through the Ryde ClubGRANTS Scheme.
The Scheme provides one-off non-recurrent funding for
local projects, addressing the identified needs of the
local community.
City of Ryde administers this Scheme on behalf of the
local clubs.
Go to www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/ClubGRANTS for the following:
• 2019 online application
• Documents assisting project and application
development
• Application guidelines
Closing date for applications:
Friday 31 May 2019
For more information on the ClubGRANTS Scheme please
contact Customer Service on 9952 8222.
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machine tax rebate and the City of Ryde.
Lifestyle and opportunity @ your doorstep
A BOLD attempt is being made to seize a $2
million dollar sports field grant for Hunters Hill
and have the money spent in Ryde.
Lane Cove MP Anthony
Roberts recently promised
the $2 million grant for a
synthetic turf upgrade to a
soccer field at Gladesville
Reserve and Hunters Hill
councillors voted four to
two to have council staff
prepare a feasibility report
on it.
The report is expected
to consider environmental
impact concerns about
synthetic turf raised by
councillors Ross Williams
and Jim Sanderson as well
as likely amendments to
the reserve’s management
plan.
With Hunters Hill waiting
for the staff report, Ryde
Clr Roy Maggio has seized
the opportunity to have the
$2 million grant spent on
the oval at Westminster
Park instead.
Councillor Maggio said
Ryde has acted quickly to
pass a motion to have synthetic
turf at Westminster
Park before the 2020 to
2021 soccer season and
that it can be laid down
within weeks.
“While Hunters Hill sends
this grant off to report land
we have acted,” Clr Maggio
said.
“We are not going to be
tied up with red tape and
I’ve already written to Mr
Roberts to tell him we are
ready to go when he is !”
The motion to have a staff
report on the feasibility of
synthetic turf at Gladesville
Reserve was introduced
by Hunters Hill Clr Zac
Miles as the “appropriate
procedural responsibility”
of council and went ahead
despite a move by councillors
Williams and Sanderson
to have the report
deferred so staff can fully
RYDE-EASTWOOD
LEAGUES CLUB
brief councillors.
But what Hunters Hill
councillors regard as responsible
procedure, Clr
Maggio regards as a bureaucratic
time wasting.
“There is absolutely no
vision in Hunters Hill to
act quickly to improve its
sports facilities and if Hunters
Hill can’t deliver this by
next year, the City of Ryde
can because we’ve already
delivered six synthetic turf
fields and Hunters Hill has
failed to deliver any.”
Hunters Hill Mayor Mark
Bennett rejected Clr Maggio’s
claim.
“What we have done is
the right thing to do and a
staff report does need to
come back to councillors
because this will impact on
our budget,” he said.
“This is also appropriate
because we haven’t
been given the grant yet,
there has only been an announcement
of it, which of
course we are delighted
with.”
He described Clr Maggio’s
move as “petulant”
behaviour.
“I’ve also heard Lane
Cove Council might be try
to take the grant money,”
Mayor Bennett said.
“And while I have a lot
of respect for Councillor
Maggio, he is being petulant
on this,” he said.
City of Ryde Mayor Jerome
Laxale said he would
be happy to take the $2
million grant if Clr Maggio
can convince Mr Roberts
to spend it in Ryde.
“What I would like to see
is a two million grant for
Ryde as well as a two million
grant for Hunters Hill,”
he said.
“If the state government
can spend tens of millions
of dollars knocking down
stadiums and rebuilding
them I can’t see why
it can’t spend money on
sports fields in both our
municipalities.”
Should the $2 million
grant be redirected to
Ryde it would mean the
Gladesville Ravens soccer
club would benefit at the
expense of the All Saints
soccer club, which plays at
Gladesville Reserve.
“Westminster Park is the
home ground of the Ravens
and this ground gets
flooded in winter so it is
the perfect site for synthetic
turf and this is why our
council has acted quickly
to already approve synthetic
turf to go there,” Clr
Maggio said.
The environmental concerns
raised by Hunters
Hill Clr Ross Williams
largely relate to the petrochemical
composition of
synthetic turf – which he
says is not biodegradable
– as well as the limited ten
year life span of synthetic
turf.
Councillor Sanderson is
concerned that if Hunters
Hill approves the synthetic
turf it will be hit with the
further cost of dealing with
it when the ten year term
expires.
But Clr Maggio regards
these concerns as “absurd”.
“There are no environmental
issues with synthetic
turf and sure, it can
be vandalised, but to suggest
it could be toxic is just
absurd,” he said.
“I agree it has a life span
of 10 to 15 years but the
money a council will save
with synthetic turf against
the costs of outdoor staff
maintaining an existing
pitch more than offsets the
cost of eventually replacing
it.”
Mr Roberts declined to
comment until the Hunters
Hill staff report is handed
down.
Wednesday 27 March, 2019 THE WEEKLY TIMES 11
Your City News
COMMUNITY MESSAGE
Nominate a local hero
Volunteers do amazing work
in our community and now’s
the time to recognise them!
The Volunteer Recognition
Awards aim to acknowledge
the contribution made
by these unsung heroes,
with categories for Young
Volunteer, Individual Award
and Group Award.
The 2019 City of Ryde
Volunteer Recognition Award
Winners will be announced at
a special evening in the Civic
Hall during National Volunteer
Week in May.
To nominate a local hero,
simply complete an online or
paper nomination form and
get this to us by Thursday
18 April. Find out more at
www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/
volunteerawards.
Clean out your household
chemicals
Get rid of your old household
chemicals safely by
dropping by City of Ryde’s
free Household Chemical
CleanOut this weekend.
The drop-off event will be
open between 9.00am and
3.30pm on Saturday 30 March
and Sunday 31 March at the
Meadowbank Park netball
courts car park.
Household quantities of
paint, solvents, poisons,
pesticides, motor fuels, car
batteries and other chemicals
will be accepted. To view a
PRESENTS
Park Series
/CityofRyde
full list of accepted items,
visit www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/
chemicalcleanout.
School holidays activities
Keep the kids and grandkids
occupied these upcoming
school holidays with a huge
range of activities and
programs coming up.
Our libraries are hosting
everything from rhymetime
sessions to 3D movies,
escape rooms, engineering
workshops and much more
around a theme of ‘Escape
Time.’
There will also be school
holiday sports clinics held
at the Ryde Aquatic Leisure
Centre, in addition to our very
popular Holiday Intensive
Swim Program, where
children rapidly develop
their skills and confidence by
taking swimming lessons on
consecutive days. There will
also be a wave pool and giant
slide operating throughout
the holidays. Best of all, the
water’s a lovely 29 degrees
year-round!
Many activities book up fast, so
head to our website to register
at www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/
schoolholidays.
ORCHESTRA IN THE PARK
SATURDAY 30 MARCH 2019
Featuring the Ryde Hunters Hill
Symphony Orchestra.
Grounds open from 5.00pm
Concert from 6.00 – 8.30pm
Brush Farm House
Lawson Street, Eastwood
There will be a licensed bar on-site as well as
cheese boards, coffee and desserts available for purchase.
Brush Farm House will be open to the public
for guided tours on the night.
Please note, as this is a licensed event, alcoholic drinks cannot be brought to the venue.
IN THE EVENT OF WET WEATHER THE
EVENT WILL BE POSTPONED.
For updates visit ryde.rocks/parkseries.
NEW DATE
DUE TO
WEATHER
Customer Service Centre: 1 Pope Street, Ryde
Locked Bag 2069, North Ryde NSW 1670
P: 9952 8222 E: cityofryde@ryde.nsw.gov.au
www.ryde.nsw.gov.au