Penneshaw sewerage update — Cr Liu 2014.10.21

Submitted by Kangaroo Island councillor Ken Liu on 2014.10.21:

It appears that some community members of Penneshaw may have been misinformed of the current status with the CWMS scheme and are not aware of the reasons for the project delay, judging by the concerns expressed in Question #7 (below) at the ‘meet the candidates’ session on Tuesday 14 October 2014.

Question #7

Penneshaw CWMS related (the questions were combined into one as they were basically the same):

  1.  As a Penneshaw resident, ratepayer and business owner, I am vitally interested in your personal views with regard to the CWMS project, as it will have a bearing as to whom I vote for in the coming elections. I seek a yes or no answer as to whether you are in favour of the CWMS proceeding without further, unnecessary delay.
  2. I am a ratepayer and business owner of several business properties within Penneshaw and I would like to know what your individual thought were in relationship to the Penneshaw CWMS project. It is vitally important to me and my partners that we see a Mayor and Council elected that is in favour of the CWMS project proceeding without further delay.
  3. As a resident and ratepayer of Penneshaw, I want to know what each candidate’s position is in regard to the Penneshaw CWMS project. Are you for it or against it? If you are for it, how soon can you have it completed because it is taking far too long.

Clearly, the suggestion that the holdup of the project was caused by Councillors opposing the Scheme was totally untrue, given the revised Scheme was formally approved by Council in June (Resolution 10.11 http://www.kangarooisland.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/minutesAgendas/20140611%20Council%20Minutes.pdf ) and that the CEO has the full authority and responsibility to implement the project.

At the October 8 Council meeting, the issue with the progress of the project was raised and the Manager Development & Environment advised the Council as follows:

“I confirm that no application has been lodged to date for the waste water lagoon proposal for Penneshaw CWMS. An application has been submitted for land division within The Outlook for the purposes of creating an allotment for the wastewater lagoons, but in respect to ‘why an application has not been lodged’, I would have to defer to the CEO or Acting CEO, if they have any advice on the matters that are delaying or holding up the lodgement of an application.”  The advice was minuted under Item 12.1.  http://www.kangarooisland.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/minutesAgendas/20141008%20Council%20Minutes.pdf

In order to clarify the concerns raised at the ‘meet the candidates’ session and for the benefit of the new Elected Members, I have issued the following questions on notice for the first meeting of the new Council on 12 November 2014 with a view to elicit the information.

Question 1:

Given the Penneshaw CWMS proposal was approved by Council at its 11 June 2014 ordinary meeting to proceed with implementation:

a)      Could the CEO confirm whether it is correct or otherwise that the Development Application for the building of a sewerage treatment plant at the new Binneys Track site is yet to be submitted to Council’s Development Assessment Panel (DAP) as stated by Aaron Wilksch (Manager Development & Environment) at the October 8 Council meeting?  In this case, when will the development application as directed by Council at its June meeting be lodged to the DAP?

b)      In relation to Council’s resolution directing the CEO to ‘finalise design and tender documentation’ for the project, could the Council be informed whether the documentation has been completed in readiness for tender call?  If so, when will it be envisaged to be put to tendering in accordance with Council’s Procurement Policy?

Question 2:
Given the revised sewerage treatment plant site situated on the western side of the Binneys Track near Cape Willoughby Road above the ‘Outlook’ residential Estate is located on land zoned ‘Rural Living’ (a non-complying development for ‘waste reception, storage, treatment or disposal’ – refer to page 170 of KI Development Plan), could the CEO advise how will Council be able to obtain development approval for the project against the key objectives of its own Development Plan?

Question 3:

With regard to ‘question 2’, was the non-complying land use zoning the only key issue that has prevented the project from going ahead?  If not, what is the reason for the delay?

Question 4:

Further to ‘question 2’ above, could the CEO advise what are other options available to Council in terms of selecting another suitable site for the treatment plant, should the development approval not be granted after its lodgement to DAP?

Question 5:

In light of non-complying land use zoning and other issues (if any – question 3 above) causing the delay in implementing the project, will Council be able to meet the deadline set by the LGA for the subsidy funding time frame, and have the construction with connections completed by 30 of June 2016 as identified by the CEO?  If not, will the delay jeopardise the funding for the project?

It should be noted that my questions on notice and the reply must be entered in the minutes of the relevant meeting in accordance with Regulation 10(2)(b).

My personal view on the revised CWMS proposal:

While I do not oppose the need of having a wastewater collection scheme for Penneshaw, I am not fully convinced that the $5M Stage 1 (approx 150 connections) raw sewerage proposal approved by Council in June 2014, meets the best engineering practices nor the recognised design guidelines, mainly due to its siting of the storage dam at Binneys Track land on the top of the residential Outlook Estate.  In my opinion as a municipal engineer, the proposal is financially and environmentally unsustainable and does not meet the key objectives of Council’s Strategic Plan for recycling the wastewater. If re-elected to Council, I will seek a review on the location of the treatment plant and dam and explore other wastewater collection and treatment alternatives.  As the wastewater disposal issue is confined mainly within a few problem properties and the main part of the town, a smaller scale BIOWATER collection system for these areas incorporating a stormwater harvesting scheme for open space irrigation would provide a cost-effective solution with much better environmental outcomes for the local community.

Cr Ken Liu
PO Box 80,  KINGSCOTE  SA  5223
Ph: 8553 2823 & Mobile: 0428 322 005

Email: ken.liu@bigpond.com

Kangaroo Island Council’s CEO, Andrew Boardman, non-answer… By his own logic, his recent renomination as CEO by the older Council would be irrelevant once the new Council members are elected on the 9th of November… — Webmaster

From: Andrew Boardman [mailto:Andrew.Boardman@kicouncil.sa.gov.au]
Sent: Friday, 7 November 2014 2:22 PM
To: ‘ken liu’
Cc: PA Chief Executive; Jayne Bates
Subject: RE: QoNs Re: Penneshaw CWMS

Ken – afternoon

Thank you for your emails with your Questions on Notice that you wish to appear in the November Meeting of Council Agenda.

The November Meeting of Council is the first meeting of the new Council and is my responsibility to call. The Agenda prepared for this meeting will reflect the legislative needs of the new Council and any other business that is either for information or that requires resolution of Council and sufficient information can be supplied / imparted to allow the new Council to make informed decision.

Questions on Notice provided by current Councillors will have no legal effect following the conclusion of the election as they will lapse. In addition it is unknown whether any elected member renominating will in fact be re-elected and, if not re-elected, the Questions on Notice would not form part of the Agenda as the relevant elected member no longer holds office.

Should you be successful in your re-election as Councillor then your right to place your Questions on Notice into the Agenda is not changed and you may do this for the December Meeting of Council.

Regards……………..Andy

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