Margot Giblin Citizen Reporter

Last up for the evening was the Aldermanic Code of Conduct, apparently a requirement of State Government, which concept produced hearty guffaws from Alderman Zucco.

Hobart City Council
Open Council
Monday 27th November
5pm
(Continued)

Aldermen
Present: Lord Mayor Rob Valentine, Deputy Lord Mayor Eva Ruzicka, Jeff Briscoe, Peter Sexton, Ron Christie, Phil Cocker, Helen Burnet, John Freeman, Eric Hayes, Marti Zucco
Apologies: Darlene Haig
Leave of Absence: Lyn Archer

The emotion vs. logic debate on the crematorium in North Hobart was over. During it aldermen who referred to council officers’ advice against approval of a crematorium in Letitia St. were implicitly accused of being so emotional that they were unable to face their own mortality and therefore about to make a non planning decision.

They were outvoted by one (Zucco) who was so confronted by the whole idea that he couldn’t say the word crematorium, insisting it was a good idea to have a ‘whatsitsname’ in a residential area. Another, having a distinctly medical background (Freeman) suggested that might be the reason he wouldn’t be fazed by the thought of dead bodies being incinerated nearby and another (Briscoe) who, because of his own recent experience at a Queensland funeral home/crematorium advocated the same ‘one-stop-shop’ concept for North Hobart.

The exhaustive report by the officers had, on balance, come down against permitting a crematorium given Council’s declared intention that the suburb move away from light industrial type activities towards greater residential infill.
This objection, when quietly referred to by Valentine, was declared to be ‘border-line’ by Briscoe who added the curious rider ‘if what you say is true’. What he meant by these comments remained unclear as did his reason for saying that funeral homes are mainly frequented by the elderly. Along with Zucco’s curious hope that the crematorium wouldn’t need to be used very much, his comments stood in stark contrast to the substantiated depth and detail of the rejected officers’ report.

The tricky part of the agenda over, unanimous approval was given to the application for an unlisted Use (vent pole) at Lower Domain Road, Queens Domain as long as its finish and colour match its surroundings.

108 Bathurst St is to be allowed its sign — provided it has a minimum clearance from the ground of 2400cm and is no wider than the awning.

383 Huon Rd can have a house built on it as long as neighbours’ privacy is protected by a plethora of translucent glazing, minimum height bedroom window sills and no less than 25% transparent screens on decks.

Soil and sediment erosion control, driveway/roadway heights, material matches and protection of Council infrastructure were also required.

Back to the Queens Domain where a telecommunications facility will get additional antenna in a dark green to match the existing finish. ‘The exception to this requirement is the antenna, which must be in a dark non-reflective colour.’

123 Hampden Road, Battery Point, whose address belies the fact that it doesn’t fall within the Battery Point Planning Scheme, will have 18 self contained visitor accommodation units built on it — this being 2 less than originally requested One condition is the provision of a manager available 24/7 to ‘attend the premises at short notice to resolve any problems that may arise.’

Landscape details will be required — down to species to be planted, (common and botanical name) with projected mature height and width. Alderman Ruzicka alone opposed this approval.

Friends School need to go back to the Development committee with more details of their plans for a new assembly hall at 395 Argyle St.

Information was tabled that from 1 to 31 October 06 building permits were issued to the value of $8,796,700 which included the Stage 2 addition to the Royal Hobart Hospital at $542,000 and additions to Fahan School worth $2 million.

Battery Point will get an Interpretative Sculptural Elements Trail in the form of 22 way-finding markers complete with directions and interpretation.

Life will be made easier at Mount Nelson’s Bicentennial Park on Enterprise Road by the installation of a turning head, car parking and visitor entry.

Next came football. Not whether, but how much, at what level and where. It was resolved that the North Hobart Oval be upgraded to a level suitable for community based football while the Council pursue the possibility, in co-operation with other southern councils, of attracting more AFL games to Bellerive.

Zucco was particularly, if circuitously, passionate about this idea, thrice reaching ‘the end of the day’ in his declamation and sincerely hoping that the other aldermen would understand what he was saying. It seemed they did, with another unanimous vote, this time to spend $2 million on North Hobart’s oval with the amendment that Council do its best to entice the AFL to the eastern shore.

Ruzicka did put in a murmur for soccer, at World Cup practice level at North Hobart. The Council General Manager, asked to respond, suggested that would be easier said than done, given that off season time would be needed to keep the ground up to scratch.

With Ruzicka in the chair it was unanimously decided to knock back the Royal Hobart Regatta Association’s request to collect the rent from Silvers Circus that would otherwise go to council. Given their standing donation of $17,000 p.a. to the RHGA aldermen had no difficulty with his decision.

Valentine returned to preside over a “very exciting item’ as described by Alderman Sexton. A Major Sculptural Work is destined for Lower Sandy Bay. The tender has gone to Ari Purhonen. Valentine expressed disappointment that it hadn’t gone to a Tasmanian artist to which Freeman responded that the original short list of 5 had been increased to 6 to give a local a sporting chance.

Briscoe felt the public should be able to view a representation of the winning design now, to see if they’re going to get a David or a Neptune. Freeman advised ‘that art doesn’t work like that’ and explained how it does work. The winning piece is still at conceptual design stage, from which the final product might differ considerably.Therefore such a revelation might not be in the artist’s or the work’s best interest.

The other aldermen saw his point though Hayes did ask if at some stage there might not be a little working model available. The answer to that was ‘probably’.

With Valentine foreshadowing the usual ‘hullabaloo’ on the announcement of any art work destined for a public space it was agreed that until the work was closer to its final form it should remain under wraps.

The Financial Report for the year ended 30 June 06 was accepted.

The 10 Year New Asset Projects Program went through and an additional level for Centrepoint carpark was okayed. The latter wont go up until drilling down is completed to check that the foundations are adequate. This will be expensive but as Freeman noted ‘the thought of it collapsing is too awful to contemplate’.

The Mobile Phone Services Contract will be extended for 12 months — for which an absolute majority was required.
A tender for the provision of supplementary labour for the Civic Solutions Division was awarded to Spectrum Pty Ltd. Alderman Burnet opposed this motion.

Council will stop operating the Hobart Family Day Care Scheme and Play Centre Program, subject to Lady Gowrie Tasmania taking it on. Burnet spoke to the worthiness of this organization as a suitable provider.

Hobart City Safe Incorporated will also be wound up and a report on the feasibility of putting a CCTV system in the North Hobart shopping centre precinct will be prepared.

A request for funding from Macquarie University for the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project-Cultural Industries, Creativity and the Arts in Sustainable Community Development was refused. Council did see merit in the project and would contribute to the tune of $2 – 3,000 per annum if a future proposal included more stakeholders.

The 50 and Better Centre retains its name despite Alderman Hayes regret that no better name could be settled on, despite his supportive efforts.

Last up for the evening was the Aldermanic Code of Conduct, apparently a requirement of State Government, which concept produced hearty guffaws from Alderman Zucco.

‘Those people over there want to give us a code of conduct? All right, let’s go through the process, make sure everything’s in it, if it’ll make our parliamentarians happy. Then maybe they should go and look in the mirror themselves’.

At which all the other aldermen seemed to need to look at their shoes.