Council votes for installation

The installation, which was approved by Joondalup City councillors nine votes to four at a meeting earlier this month, will complete the rollout of the priority one entry statements agreed to in 2007.

At that time, $375,750 was assigned for the three statements but it was not enough so only two on Marmion Avenue were installed ” one north of Beach Road in Marmion and the other near Cranston Park in Kinross ” costing $294,000.

A City capital works committee recommended on November 26 against the third entry statement.

At the council meeting, Cr Tom McLean also opposed the $211,500 installation.

‘The people I’ve spoken to are generally indifferent about the structures and when we talk about the cost, they are deeply concerned,’ he said.

‘I respectfully say it’s time to stop this extravagance.’

He said the cost of all three ‘sets of coloured poles’ was ‘roughly equal to 1 per cent of the rate increase’.

Cr Brian Corr said there were other things the City could spend its money on but his biggest concern was the reallocation of $170,000 from the suburban entry statements capital works project to help fund the third installation.

‘So some smaller entry statements that might otherwise have gone in to the south-eastern corner of our city are being taken away and being spent on the northern part of the city ” that’s unfair,’ he said.

Cr John Chester asked if the southeast part of the City could be considered in the next priority of entry statements.

Mayor Troy Pickard said the priority two statements would be on the eastern and southern boundaries but the schedule and design was yet to be determined.

He said the entry statements were ‘a lot more than just totem poles’ as other councillors had referred to them.

‘These two current statements provide an entry into our city that reflects the aspirations of our city,’ he said.

‘Not one person has said to me any adverse comments even about the design let alone the cost.’

He said the proposed third entry statement was the most important.

‘This is the entry to the heart of our City centre and I think it would be remiss of us not to have an appropriate entry statement into the heart of the second CBD for WA,’ he said.

He said reallocating the $170,000 would not ‘take away from suburban entry statements but delay them by a year so we can finish the job off properly’.

Cr Kerry Hollywood said they had not worked for eight years ‘to get it right’ and not continue with the third statement and Cr Mike Norman agreed.

‘It’s a shame the cost has escalated but wire rope barriers and other safety features have had to be incorporated in the design which has escalated the cost,’ he said.

‘We’re two-thirds of the way there and I think given that, we need to finish this job off properly.’

Cr John Chester said the entry statements were an integral part of the City’s branding.

‘We could debate that the money could be better spent, and I wouldn’t deny that, but in my opinion, they are necessary and the longer we leave it, the more expensive they’ll become,’ he said.