Stump up, council

HOW many more articles are we going to have to see in the Gazette before this council does the right thing?
The saga continues … so let me see if I’ve got this right so far?
These families were quite happy with their backyard privacy until council decided to lay a footpath, which should not have been an issue if not for the fact that the way it was done enables pedestrians to look directly into their backyards. Right?
Privacy issues aside, what about security? Don’t tell me shady characters aren’t going to seize upon this as a brazen opportunity.
As for the footpath itself, apparently it was “laid that way” because of underground pipework.
Well as a bystander, a few things immediately spring to mind.
Firstly I’m sure I’m not the only person to have observed those large blue plastic pipes being delivered, stored, trenches dug, pipes laid and trenches filled, over the span of several weeks.
Ergo, are you seriously trying to tell me that council had no idea what was going on in their own backyard (pardon the pun) or that there were no plans for a footpath at that location?
Allow me to quote a modern term … LMFAO.
Secondly if that was the case, then why wasn’t the footpath relocated sideways a few metres, away from those pesky pipes, thus rendering that excuse null and void.
Let’s cull the BS, the footpath was built at a price, this conversation probably already took place and the outcome was more than likely “bad luck“ to those residents living there – if anyone notices or says anything, it will eventually dissipate.
Council has apparently refused to pay for fence extensions or privacy screens even after the residents offered to split the bill (which is ludicrous).
Then to add insult to injury, it has been said that the reason is because it’s not within council budget, all while making these decisions from the $20 million council complex in Officer. Hmmm, see the irony there?
Lastly and most importantly I have also noted that our four Central Ward councillors have been deafeningly silent on this issue throughout.
Therefore I now call on those who were elected to represent their constituents … to do exactly that.
Go on the public record and make a statement on where you stand on this issue affecting your ratepayers.
As for those responsible for this farce (and you know who you are), karma is an unkind mistress.
History is filled with revolution and it’s the most innocuous things that tend to turn the tide and is this what you want to be remembered for?
This is no David v Goliath battle with residents having something to prove. Never let it be said that I am not an advocate for the work that has been done and needs to be done by our council however in this case it seems that commonsense and decency are as absent as those residents’ right to privacy.
David Connor,
Pakenham.