Swap for road works

A HALLAM road project has been bumped back another year after a Casey councillor successfully moved that a project in his own ward be finished first.
At last Tuesday’s council meeting, councillor Colin Butler moved that Devon Road in Devon Meadows, which was scheduled to be constructed in 2008/09, be pushed forward to 2007/08.
This in turn resulted in Frawley Road being pushed back another year to 2008/09.
The Frawley Road – Belgrave Hallam Road to Young Road project would have seen the construction of a collector road to link the Hallam area east of the Hallam-Belgrave Road to the arterial network.
Now a collector road will be constructed to service community facilities in Devon Meadows first and the Hallam project will follow the year after.
The road projects are to be funded under the Federal Governments Roads to Recovery program 2.
Eight other road projects have also been listed to be finished by 2009.
River Gum Ward councillor Wayne Smith this week said he believed that the residents of Hallam would not be happy with the decision and would be disappointed that the road priorities had been swapped around.
Cr Smith said many cars used the roads and the council report had clearly listed the projects in terms of priority.
“It’s disappointing that it has been swapped around but I guess that is democracy.
“He did what any other councillor would do to have something done in his ward and unfortunately the numbers were against us and we lucked out,” he said.
Cr Smith said he agreed with fellow ward councillor Janet Halsall’s suggestion at last Tuesday’s council meeting that Cr Butler should have deferred a road project in his own ward to move the Devon Road development up in the priority listing, instead of affecting a project in another council ward.