A mayoral minute has put the resurfacing of the North Shore's roads back on council's priority list.
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A day after the Port Macquarie News revealed that council was planning to use a government grant to build a footpath instead of fixing Shoreline Drive and North Shore Drive, Port Macquarie-Hastings Mayor Peta Pinson has apologised to residents and asked council staff to proceed with the design and costing of rehabilitation works.
In a mayoral minute presented to Thursday's council meeting (May 18), Cr Pinson called for council to seek an extension of the $960,000 in funding from the Local Roads Community Infrastructure Program (LRCI), which was allocated to the North Shore.
She also asked council staff to proceed with the costing of repairs and to include these costs in the 2022-2023 Operational Budget.
North Shore resident Kerry Fox welcomed the change in direction.
"It's nice to get the North Shore back in the Operational Budget," she said. "Because it wasn't before"
Cr Pinson said North Shore residents "had not been forgotten".
"The road was looked at and it came to the attention of council that $960,000 was not enough and it was decided that an extensive length of footpath would serve the community well," she said.
"We did fall short in that we didn't check back in with the community, and we apologise."
Amendments to the mayor's minute were proposed and rejected, and after making adjustments of her own, it was passed.
"North Shore residents have been heard loud and clear. We want to rectify the misunderstandings that have happened," Cr Pinson said.
If the funding extension is declined, council will still move forward with construction of the footpath and also go to the detailed design stage.
But according to Ms Fox: "the footpath is not needed."
She says the community would still rather the grant go towards preparatory work, such as drainage.
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