I read with enthusiasm the Wednesday May 17 Yass Tribune telling of how the council is so proud of the timber bridge replacement program and informing us about the Nanima bridge.
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It is also good to see the council declaring the grants, unlike the secrecy with the Mount Street, Yass kerb and gutter.
It is a positive article and tells of our council on the front foot and doing great things in the community.
It is important that the community be kept up to date as the 19 failed bridges were a reason given for the year-on-year 8.5 per cent rate increases.
It is very important that the council's current engineers be funded to make good the years of neglect by their predecessors.
Let us not forget the diversion of the $3 million-plus to the purchase of land and buildings surrounding the council, with no valuations and at above market prices. This has a lot to do with the shortfall of money.
These funds and other land bought and still held would have fixed a lot of bridges in times past.
As the bridge replacement is so important, I consider it an obligation for the council and your paper to have an article on all bridge openings as the program rolls out.
A bridge opening that seems overlooked is the Garry Owen bridge in Binalong.
Aside from the council having to pull it apart after being partly built as someone forgot to galvanise the beams, and aside from the construction signage having to be changed as the council had incorrectly installed signage dated incorrectly, and aside from all the inconvenience to locals, the bridge is now finished.
Councillors should be proud of the replacement of a fully wooden bridge with a wooden one with steel beams.The wooden substructure, wooden deck and wooden running boards sound great as the clickety-clack of the metal staps takes you back to yesteryear.
The ten kilometre per hour speed signs along with the give way signs necessary for a single lane bridge are also quite nostalgic.
The councillors should be as proud of this bridge as any other and it would be a great picture showing some councillors at a bridge opening ceremony highlighted by the signs and shaking hands with some grateful locals.
I have attached a couple of pictures and I hope that you can print them for your readers and encourage all to take a drive to see what we get for our money.
