Memories of what might have been
There has been a certain tinge of nostalgia in some quarters over recent significant developments at the Wang power station and the battered old Mort Street TAFE ..nostalgia for what might have been.
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When Greenspot became the new corporate owner of the power station the deal included a large area of flat land on the other side of the railway, extending down to Lake Wallace.
Once again it's hoped to attract industrial development.
But in years gone by the government nominated the site for a business park catering for industries requiring significant amounts of electricity.
Bob Carr signed a 'memorandum of agreement' with a consortium that had grand plans for an aluminium smelter but months later the project was abandoned (with a stated intention of moving to Queensland with 'Russian partners') when the consortium was unable to reach agreement on power prices.
It would be a good idea for a regular hose down of pigeon droppings on the park benches near the rotunda in QE park and on top of the litter bins in Cook Plaza.
- The Saint
As subsequent hard times in the nation's aluminium history highlighted it was perhaps a lucky escape from what seemed a good idea at the time.
Then came a proposal from a West Australian consortium for a silicon processing plant but that required a charcoal component from timber sourced on the far South Coast and when former radio supermouth Allan Jones came on board with Eurobodalla residents opposing the timber cull the government went to water and withdrew its token support for the plant.
That company decided it would take its bat and ball and move to America.
The site has been just open paddocks ever since, used only for a time by a model aircraft club.
So now what?
Then for the old TAFE and tradies and crafties have been watching the site work demolition with bittersweet memories.
The big shed that stood at the rear lane was in better times a sheltered sand bin where plumbing apprentices over the years were taught the skills necessary for pipe laying.
Also gone the 'cottage' that was part of the lifestyle program of arts, crafts and cooking skills so popular in the day before TAFE unceremoniously slashed much of its training programs.
Leaving Lithgow the poorer for it.
The whiffs of Spring
Murphy's Law dictates things will go wrong at the least opportune time and this was the unfortunate case in an otherwise perfect holiday weekend in Lithgow.
With hordes of visitors taking advantage of Queen Elizabeth Park the delightful perfume of Spring blossoms had to compete with a less welcome 'spring' odour when a sewer main at the eastern high side of the park sprung a leak and flooded down to create a most unsavoury large swamp for the unwary.
Council staff set up cones to isolate the area (sort of) but it was not the impression we wanted to create.
According to park regulars it's not the first time this has happened.
Tarnished image
Heaps of visitors in town over a super sunny and unseasonably warm holiday weekend. And many of them spent time in Cook Street Plaza - a presence that highlighted the fact that the paint has disappeared from much of the timber furniture, leaving something is a mish mash and an appearance of neglect.
On a related subject it would be a good idea for a regular hose down of pigeon droppings on the park benches near the rotunda in QE park and on top of the litter bins in Cook Plaza.
Shouldn't be too difficult.