After what they claim has been years of neglect, the normally quiet residents of Fingal Bay have erupted in voice by calling for their fair share of the project funding pie.
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Unfortunately, many of the projects in need of Port Stephens Council attention may have to wait due to a lack of funding.
A call for action by a group of Fingal Bay residents led by Heather and Ray Noonan saw approximately 100 people attend a public meeting last Thursday along the foreshore.
The gathering took place a short distance from where the road leading to popular Barry Park has been identified under a Natural Disaster Declaration following the March 2021 rain event.
An application to support the repair and recovery of the site was being assessed by the NSW government.
Mrs Noonan said that she was overwhelmed with the strong attendance which included three of the Paterson election candidates - Brooke Vitnell, Meryl Swanson and Neil Turner - and east ward councillor Leah Anderson.
"Although it was a community meeting and in no way political, I felt obliged to invite the federal candidates to ask if they could assist us with any grants that may be available for the projects on our wish list," she said.
All three candidates agreed that the amenities and foreshore was in desperate need of improvement.
"I believe the federal government can play a part in funding infrastructure works and if elected that is what I will be fighting for," said Ms Vitnell.
Sitting MP Ms Swanson said that the Labor Party had committed to increasing the federal assistance grant to local government by 2 per cent, "equating to around $6 million for Port Stephens", while Mr Turner said that he could not promise funding but he would support any proposed increases in the federal assistance grants.
Mrs Noonan, a Fingal resident of 31 years, said that residents' concern centred around the foreshore area from Boulder Bay Road to Barry Park.
"Both the foreshores at Nelson Bay and Shoal Bay are beautifully maintained by the council, which only highlights to me just how much this end of Fingal Bay has been neglected," she said.
"I sent an email to the council in August last year listing my concerns and unfortunately I have never received a reply. We had a meeting with a representative from the council's community asset planning department and that person was quite shocked to see the neglect of basic maintenance issues.
"Furthermore, we then discovered that we were not even on the council's 10 year Place Plan ... we feel we have become 'Forgotten Fingal'."
A council spokesperson told the Examiner that the amenities for Fingal Bay north were planned for replacement in the 2022/23 year.
On the fence line, the council said it would inspect the fence and repairs or replacement will be made as soon as funding was available, but there was no funding for seating, outdoors showers or a pedestrian crossing.
"Place Plans are prioritised for those communities that are embarking on significant change whether this be zoning changes, economic investment, an existing strategy being out of date or new information such as flooding becoming available.
Communities such as Fingal Bay have their character, vision and needs for the area incorporated into council's Community Strategic Plan, Strategic Assets Management Plan, Pathways Plan, and Recreation Strategy. A Place Plan will be considered in the future."
Ms Noonan said that the close knit community took pride in where they live and this was highlighted in the council 'Liveability Surveys'.
"The results of the survey revealed that Fingal Bay residents were the happiest in the LGA. Council must have assumed that we didn't need anything done and did not set aside any funding for our area."
Ms Noonan went on to list what was needed: repair or replace the fencing with suitable vegetation; control overgrown vegetation (including bitou bush and lentana) along the foreshore embankment; level the footpath between Boulder Bay Road and Tuna Crescent to make more accessible for elderly, disabled persons and prams etc; utilise the in-ground sprinkler system; repair and paint seating; provide cover for tables and chairs; repair outdoor showers; install drink stations similar to Shoal Bay; erect a shade sail over the children's play area; and provide a pedestrian crossing at the holiday park.
Cr Anderson said that lack of council funding was a major issue and that she would take the residents' concerns back to the council for further investigation.
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