A BONNY Hills man has called on Port Macquarie-Hastings Council to lift its game and stop treating the area like a second-class citizen maintenance-wise.
Retired police officer Bill Fitzsimons, who has lived in Bonny Hills for four years, said gutters in some areas were so clogged up that weeds were growing in the silt.
“Look at this one here, in Seafront Circuit, there’s grass growing in it!” Mr Fitzsimons said.
“When you pay your rates, you expect it to be cleaned. I think because the council depots are in Laurieton and Port Macquarie we get forgotten out here. We’re in a sort of no-man’s land. And it’s not just Bonny Hills – I think Lake Cathie misses out sometimes too.
“It’s particularly bad in areas where there are many tall trees.
“I’m sure council will say it’s a money issue, but not cleaning the drains is short-sighted. What happens when the drain gets blocked up and the street floods? They’ll have to get in one of those very expensive drain vacuum-cleaner things – it will cost them 10 times as much as having it cleaned in the first place.”
He added that the lack of maintenance was also an eyesore in a region for which tourism was a major drawcard.
Mr Fitzsimons said he had done some investigation and it appeared the current situation was not just a recent problem.
“I have never seen a street sweeper at work in Bonny Hills and several long-time residents I have spoken to could also never recall seeing one,” he said.
He said the state of some of the lakeside parks off Rainbow Beach Drive adjacent to fairly recent subdivisions also left a lot to be desired, with the small feature garden sections so neglected they were turning into displays of what sort of weeds grew locally.
“It must be at least a year since this one here was weeded,” he said, standing in front of a particularly large clump.
“The weeds are up to several feet high and seeding – next year there will be five times as many. Some of those are wait-a-whiles which are a nightmare to get out of your dog’s coat if he happens to brush up against them.”
Mr Fitzsimons hoped publicising the issue would prompt council to take action.
“Just because we live out here we shouldn’t be forgotten,” he said. “We’re all in the same council and should expect the same service.”
He suggested council should reassess its priorities if money was the issue and concentrate on the three Rs – roads, rates and rubbish – instead of wasting money on white-elephant projects like the Glasshouse.
