CHARACTER-FILLED Keppel Street is a jewel in Bathurst’s commercial district but, as some of even its most passionate supporters admit, parts of it are looking a bit tired.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
There was disappointment from business owners when Bathurst Regional Council chose not to include some major works in Keppel Street – including tree planting and an upgrade to the Bathurst Information and Neighbourhood Centre car park – in its budget for this financial year.
Most disappointed of all was Councillor Jess Jennings, who has tied his success on council to securing improvements to Keppel Street.
But as those who practise it know, politics is all about the art of the possible.
And though the tree planting and car park upgrade will have to wait, a separate long-overdue upgrade is set to begin.
The addition of the Philip Spelman sculpture Redjar Redbottle to the forecourt of the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery and Library has enhanced this popular precinct – but, until now, it has been obscured from the street by an ugly brick wall.
Council has included $40,000 in its 2014-15 budget for an upgrade of the forecourt, which will include removing the brick wall, new landscaping, seating and signage.
In short, it wants to open up the area for the community.
It’s a start for those who want to see Keppel Street reach its undoubted potential.
And, as anyone who has taken on a big project knows, sometimes the hardest part is just making a start.
“There’s enormous potential down here,” Keppel Street businessman Peter Wright from Central Commercial Printers told the Western Advocate last year.
He’s right. And the next step is finding the best way to unlock that potential.
