A sign of decline

I READ with interest (Gazette, 11 January) about what Cardinia Council has planned in 2012 to upgrade our roads.
However, in that two page spread I could not see anything about the McGregor Road south-bound lanes between the railway line and Webster Way – where all those yellow marks nearly cover the whole road.
Is council just going to let this road turn into potholes, or is it still the contractor’s responsibility to repair it?
Another road that has had yellow paint marks is the roundabout at The Avenue and Eagle Drive. They have nearly worn off now, so I presume when they disappear that will be forgotten about as well.
You waste your time going to the shire office to try to speak to anybody about things because you don’t get past the front counter, were a woman types away madly on a keyboard. What is she writing about?
I just wonder how many of these complaints actually get to the people concerned or are in the computer system never to be seen again?
I really think it’s about time council came out in the open and put forward a plan for the whole shire.
The shire has that many industrial estates around and I now see it is mixing housing estates among them – ie O’Brien Parade.
I feel sorry for the winery that wanted to open a tasting room and eating area to try to bring a bit of tourism to the area but had the plan quashed. It seams to me tourism is not on the agenda, or does council have this land earmarked for a housing estate as well?
I would like to congratulate Councillor Brett Owen for bringing up the idea of an incentive scheme so council can get its rate money in sooner, but as usual the other councillors threw it out.
It’s a pity we don’t have more like Cr Owen up on the hill, or as the case may be in the hollow.
It was nice to see David Shelton (Gazette, 11 January) standing beside beautiful Pakenham sign in Canada, which puts ours to shame and to read how they respect their heritage.
Not like our local area. If it’s old, knock it down – like our beautiful old post office. It was there one Friday night, gone on Saturday morning.
What a disgrace. The hall and the library make way for another shopping centre, where the land was almost given away, when you consider what was paid for the racecourse.
The moving of our ambulance station has also been talked about. Before this decision is undertaken, they want to remember who paid most of the cost for the original one, and how many of the older residents of Pakenham fought for it.
You only have to travel east on the Princes Highway to the Bunyip River to see the difference between the shire welcome signs.
The Welcome to Baw Baw Shire sign is simple but nice. Go a little further and do a U-turn and come back to the welcome to Cardina Shire sign if you can see it among the grass on the VicRoads roadside. How inviting.
Travel around the country a bit to see what shire and town signs can look like if a bit of thought goes in to them.
As far as I can see, all we are going to get for our rates this year is two white lines, which have been painted on the road outside our place.
Daryl Rogers,
Pakenham.