By VANESSA CHIRCOP
HOBSONS Bay Councillors heard submissions to their 2012 draft budget at last week’s council meeting.
The council received seven submissions in response to the budget and heard five requests for funding at the meeting.
Among the speakers was Williamstown Chamber of Commerce president Sash Boseovski.
As reported by Star last week, Mr Boseovski called on the council to allocate more funding to construct and repair footpaths along Nelson Place, which he said had been promised for years but never fulfilled.
Mr Boseovski also called on the council to allocate more funding to the Williamstown Chamber of Commerce.
Other submitters included resident Mark Reynolds who called on the council to push for the surfacing of Blomberg Rd to be used as an alternative to Chambers Rd.
“Our nightmare began with the construction of Barns Road Bridge creating a short cut and easy access route onto Chambers Rd for Toll Industries and many others,” he said.
Mr Reynolds said this left local residents to pay the price.
“Heavy transport use our residential street as a rat run with over 3000 vehicles per day or 20,000 per week smashing over speed humps while properties and families shudder under the sheer weight,” he said.
“Closing Chambers Rd would deprive the local industry and many others a short cut to the West Gate Bridge and beyond … but open Blomberg Rd with a closer proximity to the Barns Road Bridge and the problem is resolved.”
Chairman of the Williamstown CYMS Football Club, Peter Welsh also called on the council to improve lighting at Fearon Reserve.
Resident Peter Stevenson called for more parking in Hobsons Bay and Williamstown Athletics Club and Williamstown Little Athletics Club representative David Jamieson called the council to maintain the promised amount of $260,000 in the 2011/2012 budget for the extension of a multi-purpose room at their club.
The council is expected to adopt the 2012/2013 budget at its next meeting on 26 June.
