Buck passing
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SEEMS a little buck passing occurs from time to time when it comes to environmental issues. Ever since a new sewer installation was installed right next to the northern entrance to Lithgow Valley Plaza last year (that’s the one, that unsightly bed filled with what appears to be chitter) there has been evidence of intermittent unpleasant odours. On Wednesday one shopper was so irate she complained to the centre management. “It was so bad this time it made me nauseous,” Betty told the column. But when she lodged her complaint she said the response was that the odours were not the centre’s responsibility. “It’s a council problem,” she says she was told. “We (the centre) have complied with all the council requirements so it’s their issue.” Not so, says council’s manager of environmental services Andrew Muir. This is on shopping centre property and is a shopping centre problem that needs to be addressed. “Maybe the thing just needs a good pump out,” he said. Andrew said his officers would be having a chat with centre management. Perhaps they could also mention the little matter of the visual environment issue of that chitter bed at the same time.
Along the highway
MEANTIME there has been much speculation about progress on the highway frontage site at Bowenfels where a developer plans the creation of a 7-Eleven outlet. Reddings Auto Repairs last year announced they had accepted the offer and would relocate to Cooerwull Road. In more recent days it has not gone unnoticed that vehicles have been moved from the two car yards. One has moved to Marrangaroo while Lean and Bennett have moved the used cars back to their Main Street site. “We sell so many used cars to out of town clients via the internet these days that we no longer need highway exposure,” company principal Rhys Bennett told the column. The Toyota-Holden dealer has also acquired a residence adjacent to its detailing yard in Enfield Avenue and is planning an expansion there. In the meantime the old heritage protected Cooerwull Presbyterian Church on what is to become the 7-Eleven site is understood to be proposed for a restaurant.
Same old routine
LAST year’s somewhat unusual trends of low key agendas in Lithgow Council meetings is continuing into the new year. Despite the long summer break the first meeting of 2016 is scheduled for Monday night and the business paper can best be described as dull. There are just 18 items up for discussion so maybe we really are living in a world of delegated authority rather than debate in public. Maybe there’ll be something in the public forum to liven up proceedings to launch our new local government year.
The uke’s the thing
OVER several years now the Blue Mountains Ukulele Band (the Blue Mugs) has become hugely popular and has a crowded itinerary. When they perform their music is a pure delight. And it’s this success that has led to the annual Blue Mountains Ukulele Festival. Which brings us to the point that the festival is on again next weekend, centred in and around the iconic Carrington Hotel and cultural centre. And it’s not just any old music festival; it’s billed as the world’s biggest gathering of uke musos. And if you felt this was single chord music think again; the program includes everything from music hall, to pub rock, to classical and even Latin. There are over 100 acts and an expected 5000 visitors. The good thing is that apart from the festival dinner at the Carrington on the Friday night everything is free on Saturday and Sunday and if you have a ukulele you can even join in the jam sessions or workshops.