AUBURN Street needs a little loving. That’s the underpinning message of a report by Goulburn Mulwaree Council general manager, Warwick Bennett.
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Councillors will tomorrow night decide whether or not to adopt the general manager’s plan to improve the appearance of Goulburn’s CBD – at price of $300,000.
“At the moment, it’s grey and concrete-ridden,” a frank Mr Bennett said on Friday.
A Main Street Beautification Working Group report adds weight to his claim, describing the city centre as ‘tired’ and lacking in street furniture.
The proposal, assembled by the general manager on the advice of the Working Group, suggests council replaces sealed footpaths with paving; adds more planted trees, especially on street corners and on the median strip; installs pots with shrubs and flowers; builds pergola structures; establishes raised gardens; and erects bubblers, similar to the one placed outside Gloria Jean’s.
The above changes will occur in the block between Montague and Clifford Streets. Six car parks on the Montague-Clifford section will be casualties of the facelift.
In addition to upgrade approval, Mr Bennett is urging councillors to sign off on a maintenance action plan that stipulates graffiti be removed within 24 hours and damaged plants be disposed of and replaced immediately.
The upgrades are long overdue, he says.
A 2010 report from the Treechanger Working Group found that Goulburn struggled to attract new residents when compared to competing regional cities.
The city’s streetscape was an “impediment” and was a contributing factor in Goulburn’s failure to attract tree changers, the report noted.
"The community and stakeholders have been asking for this for years now. It's time we delivered,” Mr Bennett said.
“I’m putting a stake in the ground. This is council’s chance to step up. I’m confident they will.”
The first phase of the CBD enhancement is priced at $100,000. Mr Bennett will soon release a second report, detailing plans to replace all tarsealed footpaths with paving – the patterns of which match those at the front of Belmore Park.
That aspect of the upgrade is budgeted at $200,000.
The rest of Auburn Street will receive similar upgrades over the next three financial years, should councillors adopt the proposal.
All work will be conducted in-house by Goulburn Mulwaree Council staff.
The financial cost and inconvenience is justified, Mr Bennett continued.
“You can’t put a price tag on a nice-looking town,” he said.
“Let’s be really, really proud of our main street.”
Deputy Mayor Bob Kirk is one of two councillors who sits on the Beautification Working Group committee.
He believes his chamber colleagues ought to approve the recommendation tomorrow night.
“It’s a sensational idea – long overdue,” he said.
“It (main street) needs to be more aesthetically pleasing. This is a step in the right direction.”
Auburn Street businessman Peter Zantis agrees.
“Cost-effective wise, this is the best approach,” Mr Zantis, also a member of the Working Group, explained.
“It will soften up the appearance of the street and make it a lot more attractive."