Foot-dragging claim bowls over councillor

By Ed Merrison
UPWEY-Tecoma Bowls Club has blamed a lack of action and information from Melbourne Water and the State Government for a climate of frustration and disillusionment among club members.
The complaint comes despite news of the imminent construction of a long-awaited levee wall to protect the club’s storm-plagued synthetic green.
Bowls club secretary Michael Walker last week accused authorities of foot-dragging and excessive bureaucracy, and said their inaction had cost the club an earlier solution to its flood problem.
Mr Walker said Thursday, 2 February will mark the first anniversary of the storms that wrecked the club’s synthetic green, and the delay in solving the issue was avoidable.
Two days before Mr Walker made his comments, club officials received a letter from Streeton Ward councillor Noel Cliff that said the council would seek quotes for the one-metre high concrete structure in February and it hoped to begin construction in March. But Mr Walker accused Monbulk MP James Merlino, Water Minister John Thwaites, Melbourne Water and other authorities of dragging their feet and being slow to follow up promises earlier in the process.
“There’s been a lot of talking in this process and not a lot of doing,” he said.
Mr Walker said the air of uncertainty surrounding the replacement of the green, which will have to wait until the area is flood-proofed, had led to a loss of members and revenue.
“From the end of the last competitive season at the end of February 2005 to the beginning of the new season in October, we had little or no income at the club because there was no artificial green.
“We’ve suffered a drop in memberships, with some members going to other clubs and some giving up,” he said.
Mr Walker said Mr Merlino could have done more to keep the club informed and to expedite the flood-proofing process.
“It was all left up to the club to muster all the people involved and to see what was going on,” he said.
Mr Walker said he was disappointed that Mr Merlino’s input had come via email rather than in person, a claim the MP branded “absolutely false”.
Mr Merlino said he had arranged the initial meeting with Mr Thwaites and Melbourne Water about Easter last year, and attended on-site meetings at the end of March and at the beginning and end of May last year.
Mr Merlino said after the third meeting, when Melbourne Water announced its preferred option of a levee bank to prevent the flooding at Upwey Reserve, the company undertook a detailed investigation, the results of which were delivered in August.
Mr Merlino announced $80,000 of funding from Melbourne Water for the barrier in September last year.
The shire has been working with civil and structural engineers to finalise the barrier’s design.
“I’ve had hand-on involvement from the beginning,” Mr Merlino said.
“I think I’ve worked hard in coming up with a solution and ensuring the club has a sustainable solution into the future.”