ANY previous animosity between Bathurst Regional Council and the organisers of Newtons Nation has seemingly resolved after a successful event earlier this year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In late 2017, a report to council recommended against the Mount Panorama circuit being made available for the event.
The report, from Corporate Services and Finance director Aaron Jones, cited a number of issues from the 2017 event – including an “apparent lack of respect towards council staff”.
Councillors eventually overturned the decision, allowing for the event to go ahead, and a new report from Mr Jones confirmed it to have been a success.
The new report, which was before councillors at Wednesday night’s ordinary meeting, noted that planning was underway for 2019.
“The event was conducted from Thursday, April 5 to Sunday, April 8 2018, and from council’s perspective, there were no significant issues that were brought to council’s attention during this event,” Mr Jones said.
“Council staff recently met with representatives from ASRA (Australian Skateboard Racing Association) to debrief on the 2018 event, and to commence discussions/planning for the 2019 event.”
His report stated that discussions on the growth of the event were continue and that 2019 dates will be announced shortly.
The report also recommended that council waive the venue hire and cleaning costs of this year’s event, which total $13,989, for ASRA and this was what councillors voted to do.
Council has not previously charged ASRA and it was requested that this occur again in a letter from ASRA president James Hopkin.
The venue hire and cleaning costs will be funded from council’s Section 356 – Mount Panorama Fee Waiver allocation.
Mr Hopkin’s letter to council also acknowledged how successful the 2018 event had been.
“A successful event for ASRA is not based on profit,” he said.
“[The event in] 2018 was successful because we ran the event to the high standards set for us by Bathurst Regional Council.
“We communicated and worked excellently with the local residents.”
