Hello everyone,
Friday night’s truck crash in Main Street Rutherglen has certainly dominated many conversations over this past week.
The issue of what to do about the trucks spans decades, and despite extensive community consultation, studies and government funding to resolve the issue, it appears we are no closer to a resolution.
It’s well known that the Federal Government withdrew its funding last year, leaving around $1.4M of State government money to implement safety improvements, however despite our continual advocacy efforts, we’re still waiting for confirmation on the status of these funds.
It is vitally important that the state commits this remaining money to these necessary safety improvements, and we will continue to advocate to Victorian Roads Minister Melissa Horne, to make this a matter of urgency.
We are relieved that no-one was hurt, and we acknowledge the impact the crash has had on local businesses, both those that sustained damage and those that were impacted by the loss of power.
We are just as frustrated as community members and we also want a resolution. Rutherglen is an extremely important town within the Shire and a major tourism drawcard.
We are hoping to hear shortly from the Federal Government on whether we’ve been successful in securing $10M for the Rutherglen Silos Arts Precinct Project. Development of this precinct is a key outcome of the Rutherglen Place Plan, which was developed through extensive community consultation.
I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend.
Cr Sophie Price.