THEY say all good things come to those who wait - it’s just a matter of how long you’re willing to wait.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 2018-19 Bathurst Regional Council budget, however, has rewarded community members who have shown the patience of Job on two long-running local issues.
Councillors signed off on the new budget on Wednesday with barely any discussion of the two items that would most please regular council watchers.
The first was an allocation of money that will see 15 to 20 closed circuit television cameras installed throughout the CBD as part of council’s first in-house CCTV network.
Council agreed to coughing up the money after missing out on funding from the NSW Government and on the back of more than a decade of lobbying from local businesses and residents.
The cameras are likely to be installed in William Street, Russell Street, Howick Street, George Street and Machattie Park, with council intending to have both fixed and pivoting cameras.
They represent the first small step in finally bringing Bathurst into line with most of our neighbours, who have had council-run CCTV in their main streets for years.
And their existence will provide a dual benefit: First, simply having the cameras switched on will likely dissuade some petty thieves and vandals and, second, the footage they capture will greatly assist police in catching the morons who commit crimes anyway.
Also welcome will be the final lot of funding to build a new roundabout at the contentious intersection of Suttor, Mitre and Lambert streets at West Bathurst.
Council has now put aside $1.7 million to not only install a roundabout but also carry out a significant upgrade of the century-old pipes infrastructure that runs beneath the intersection.
Work can’t quite start yet as first the proposed design must go on display for 28 days and then council must call for tenders to carry out the project.
But we’re closer now than ever before to having a project that was first mooted 21 years finally coming to fruition.
That’s two projects we feared might never amount two anything both signed off with a quick show of hands.
It took decades to get to this point, and then just seconds to make it happen.
Council can be a funny place sometimes.