BATHURST Regional Council’s decision to install a sewage dump site in Berry Park is on the nose, according to members of the Lions Club of Bathurst who have developed and maintained the park for the past 40 years.
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Club president Dale Cassidy said the park was a very popular spot for picnics, barbecues and exercise, adding that families and sewage don’t mix.
“How would you feel if you were having a picnic and you got a waft of something unpleasant?” Mr Cassidy said.
The club holds its farmers’ markets there twice a year when the showground is not available. Their sister club Bathurst Macquarie Lions Club also hold markets in the park.
“Kids often play here. It’s not right that they should have to avoid effluent.”
- Dale Cassidy
Members are particularly annoyed that despite the fact they have invested countless volunteer hours in making the riverside venue a beautiful place for the community and visitors to enjoy, council did not consult with them prior to voting to put in a sewage dump for recreational vehicles.
“They never consulted with us in anyway – we heard about it in the media,” he said.
The club planted extensive gardens, put in parking areas, barbecues and picnic tables, and worked with council in building a toilet block. It is near that toilet block that the RV dump will go – unfortunately that also puts it close to the picnic tables.
Mr Cassidy said the area is unsupervised and there are concerns that people might dump their waste and not clean up properly.
“Kids often play here. It’s not right that they should have to avoid effluent,” he said.
“Be RV-friendly by all means, but there are other options available.”
Lions Club of Bathurst secretary Barbara Andrews said such a move would have an effect on members of the community who would have to endure the smell of effluent in the park.
Council has told the club the dump site must be close to water mains for wash down purposes.
“What if people don’t wash it down properly. It will smell,” Ms Andrews said.
“We want to ensure the park can be used by all the community, not just one sector.
“The dump will be within 100 metres of a barbecue facility which means the dump will be smack bang in the middle of where people are picnicking. There is one in the showground already. Why is there any need to put in another one 500 metres away?”
In a letter to the club, engineering director Doug Patterson said council had two existing dump points, one at the showground and another at the Waste Water Treatment Works, however these were not available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
He added that a number of sites were identified, but Berry Park was identified as the most suitable location.
“The proposed dump point has been recommended to be adjacent to the toilet block to minimise disruption to regular recreational users of Berry Park,” Mr Patterson said.
