I spoke yesterday to consultants who are preparing a Porepunkah
master plan for Alpine Shire Council. I gave them my views on the
infrastructure improvements needed to keep pace with our growing
population.

In the eight years that we’ve lived here, I estimate that 50-60 new
houses have been built and some new subdivisions have recently been
approved. The only new infrastructure I could think of though, was the
rail trail and the Station Street roundabout, both arguably for the
benefit of visitors as much as residents.

Some of the priorities should be:

• Footpaths, especially towards and around the primary school;
• A roundabout at the Nicholson Street, Bailey Street intersection;
• Full bitumen seal of the rail trail;
• Changerooms at the oval;
• Skate ramp for kids at the oval or picnic ground;
• Widen Service Street so it can handle two cars side by side;
• Drainage.

I thought it curious the consultants hadn’t been told by council
about the Porepunkah traffic study. Completed about three years ago,
this report recommended several works, only one of which has been
completed.

It bothers me that council requires consultant’s reports before it
will act, and then half the time ignores the consultant’s reports
anyway.

Small towns are disadvantaged by the politics of Alpine Shire.
Council feels obliged to spread projects between the three population
centres of Bright, Myrtleford and Mount Beauty. Porepunkah is wrongly
perceived as a suburb of Bright and misses out to "big brother" on
improvements.