The council has scaled back its funding allocation towards sealing Maria River Road but remains committed to the proposed project.
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Port Macquarie-Hastings Council reduced its funding allocation from $2 million to $600,00 to match Kempsey Shire Council’s funding offer, subject to grant funding being successful.
It follows our council’s earlier allocation of $2 million towards the proposed project.
That was subject to matching funding from Kempsey Shire Council and successful grant funding.
Maria River Road stretches across both council areas.
State government funding will be needed for the sealing project to go ahead.
A report to the October council meeting said council staff had recently received confirmation from Kempsey Shire Council that an allocation of $600,000 only had been agreed by their council for the project.
Mayor Peta Pinson said the council felt it only right and fair to reduce its contribution to $600,000 in line with Kempsey Shire Council’s funding amount.
The mayor said our council was not going back on its commitment, and its commitment was as strong as it was when it made the original resolution, which was to see that both communities benefited via sealing the road but that would not be possible without state government assistance.
“It’s a thoroughfare between the two council areas and it’s used when there have been many accidents on the road and it’s used by tourists as well,” Cr Pinson said.
North Side Progress Association vice-president Kingsley Searle said it was encouraging both councils were saying they were committed to the project but it would be nice to see more money in the pot.
Mr Searle said the safety of people using the road was vitally important.
“It’s an issue that won’t go away and we won’t go away either,” he said.
“We will keep pursuing it.”
An unsuccessful joint funding application to seal Maria River Road was made under the state government’s Fixing Country Roads Program.
Staff from both councils have since worked to reduce the project scope in an attempt to attract state government funding.
The project estimate remains in about $16.6 million.
Kempsey Shire Council director operations and planning Robert Fish said Kempsey Shire Council had identified the sealing of Maria River Road as an important joint project.
“We will continue to work with Port Macquarie-Hastings to make representation to the NSW Government to seek funding to construct and seal the road,” he said.
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