At the September Council meeting I was re-elected for a fourth term as Mayor of Kiama by a vote of the Council. I thank my colleagues for their support and the community for their overwhelming encouragement.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Councillor Warren Steel was also re-elected as the Deputy Mayor. It is a great honour to represent the communities of Kiama, Gerringong and Jamberoo.
I look forward to working with my Council colleagues to progress key issues such as the development of the Kiama Hospital site and the Akuna Street precinct.
Council recently released comprehensive plans to redevelop the Kiama Hospital site into the Blue Haven Centre of Excellence in Aged Care.
After extensive planning and input from the community and from interest groups, Kiama Council has finalised the DA for the Kiama Hospital site.
I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the plans and submitted their opinions. This project is of great strategic importance to our area and we value the time and effort taken by our community to give us feedback.
The Joint Regional Planning Panel will be considering all submissions along with Council’s DA in the near future.
The other key issue is the Akuna Street precinct, which is coming along well. We have reached the final stages of negotiation that hopefully will bring increased economic activity to the eastern CBD area.
Another focal point for the future of our area is the growth of the tourism industry, which is a vital economic driver for our municipality. Council is working closely with Kiama Tourism, the Kiama and District Business Chamber and other regional tourism organisations to collaborate and innovate in this area.
On the tourism front, I would like to recognise Jamberoo Recreation Park for recently receiving the Guinness World Record for the Largest Spider Sculpture. The BIG Funnel Web stands a whopping 19.7m to its highest leg, 22.2m wide and 15.0m in length.
I congratulate Dax Eddy and the team on this momentous achievement and for their enormous input into the tourism infrastructure of the area, quite literally!
- Mayor Brian Petschler