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Rhiannan Whiteley

From: Clr Frank Inzitari - privateSent: Tuesday, 30 June 2015 9:46 AMTo: Roger BaileySubject: Fw: MEDIA RELEASE: 'Lithgow City Council Mayor Maree Statham called upon to

publicly apologise to ratepayers and the Local Member for Bathurst and Minister for Local Government, Paul Toole.

Attachments: Lithgow 50 Metre Pool Condition Report.pdf

----- Original Message ----- From: Martin Ticehurst To: Mayor Maree Statham ; Clr. Higlett ; Clr Ray Thompson ; Clr Wayne McAndrew ; Clr Joe McGinnes ; Clr. Inzitari ; Clr Col Hunter ; Clr Peter Pilbeam ; Lithgow City Council Cc: Prime TV News Orange ; WIN TV News Orange ; Len Ashworth ; 2LT News ; SMH Investigations ; Lithgow Ratepayers ; Paul Toole - Minister for LG ; Paul Toole MP Bathurst ; Brian Maranda ; Peter Primrose Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2015 8:11 AM Subject: Fw: MEDIA RELEASE: 'Lithgow City Council Mayor Maree Statham called upon to publicly apologise to ratepayers and the Local Member for Bathurst and Minister for Local Government, Paul Toole. Mayor Maree Statham   Following your repeated unsuccessful attempts as Chairperson to have Councillor Joe McGinness and I bullied and ejected from the Council Meeting last night over the repeated false and misleading statements by Lithgow City Council and yourself on the State Government’s funding of the Lithgow Aquatic Centre (25m Heated Pool – Indoors and 50m Outdoor Pool);    I am now writing to advise that if both a public correction and apology to my outstanding Media Release below is not made by way of a Council Media Release by close of Council business (4.30pm) today,    I will be lodging a formal complaint with your Premier Beard (sic) to seek an urgent investigation to confirm the details and accuracy of your email below to all Councillors of the 20 June last year, which the previous link in my Media Release of State Budget Papers confirms that the ‘miracle’ pool funding was for the Lithgow Aquatic Centre ‘Renovations’ in the future 2014/15 and 2015/16 years and based on the then urgency set out in the attached Lithgow 50 Metre Pool Condition Report.   I will also be happy to provide your Premier Beard (sic) with your following Media Release and the enclosed signed correspondence from the Office of Local Government via Paul Toole on the LIRS funding for the 25m Heated Pool – Indoors.   Lithgow City Council Mayoral Media Release: http://council.lithgow.com/media/2013/130731_MayorWelcomesNewFunding.html  Local Member for Bathurst and Office of Local Government letter confirming LIRS Funding: http://archive.lithgow.nsw.gov.au/agendas/13/0909/ITEM3.pdf  State Budget Papers: http://www.budget.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/124323/App_E.pdf  Regards   Martin Ticehurst 

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Councillor  Lithgow City Council -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: Maree Statham Sent: Friday, June 20, 2014 12:56 PM To: Roger Bailey Cc: Clr Ray Thompson ; Frank Inzitari ; Peter Pilbeam ; Clr Ross Higlett - private ; Clr Colin Hunter ; Joe McGinnes ; Clr Martin Ticehurst ; Clr Wayne McAndrew - private ; Iain Stewart A couple of important letters Roger that I am sure you will agree that need to be written....Paul for the pool funding, this was truly a miracle we received this money. After speaking with Mike Beard I realised the work Paul put in to attain this money.....no other ministers were supportive except Andrew Stoner and Mike Beard, there was a lot of opposition to this. Mike made it very clear, Barry OFarrell was against the funding, pleased we have a new Premier!! Thank you Roger, Kind Regards Mayor Maree Statham Lithgow City Council Ph. (02) 6354 9999

From: Martin Ticehurst Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 8:08 AM To: Prime TV News Orange ; WIN TV News Orange ; Len Ashworth ; 2LT News ; SMH Investigations ; Lithgow Ratepayers ; Paul Toole MP Bathurst ; Paul Toole - Minister for LG ; Brian Maranda ; Peter Primrose ; Lithgow City Council Cc: Maree Statham ; Clr. Inzitari ; Clr. Higlett ; Clr Ray Thompson ; Clr Peter Pilbeam ; Clr Joe McGinnes ; Clr Wayne McAndrew ; Clr Col Hunter ; Clr Martin Ticehurst Subject: MEDIA RELEASE: 'Lithgow City Council Mayor Maree Statham called upon to publicly apologise to ratepayers and the Local Member for Bathurst and Minister for Local Government, Paul Toole.   

MEDIA RELEASE – IMMEDIATE 

  

'Lithgow City Council Mayor Maree Statham called upon to publicly apologise to ratepayers 

and the Local Member for Bathurst and Minister for Local Government, Paul Toole. 

    Lithgow City Councillor Martin Ticehurst is calling upon Lithgow Mayor Maree Statham to publicly apologise over false and misleading public statements published in yesterday’s Lithgow Mercury newspaper on the official opening of the new indoor heated pool at the Lithgow City Council’s Aquatic Centre..   The Lithgow newspaper under the online headline, ‘It’s official; Lithgow’s indoor pool opened after 35 year wait’, reported that Mayor Statham said, “.. the indoor heated pool was ‘not a luxury; it’s a necessity’.”   It was also reported that Mayor Statham saying that the new indoor heated pool, “.. would not have been possible without a $3.2 million grant from the NSW Government negotiated by State Member Paul Toole’ and further that she, “.. was astounded when we were called down to Parliament House for the announcement that we had the money,” 

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  Councillor Ticehurst said, “Firstly, many ratepayers and the Local Member and Minister for Local Government Paul Toole will be very disappointed that Mayor Maree Statham has not been anywhere near upfront, open and transparent over the funding of the new so-called indoor heated pool.    It’s certainly not a normal public indoor heated pool – it’s been best described as nothing more than a pool – indoors!    I also understand that with the Council refusing to take the pool temperature higher than 27 degrees so as to avoid major internal condensation and with no indoor air-conditioning or heating in this new facility for patron comfort, many new users have already indicated that during winter they will be going back to the better indoor heated pool facilities provided at Katoomba and Bathurst.   This new Council indoor pool built at a huge cost of $3.6 million dollars, could not possibly be regarded as a necessity and is a luxury that ratepayers could certainly have done without. This position has been previously supported by every other preceding Council over many decades due to the very high funding required for construction and the exorbitant ongoing operational costs to run the facility in a small country town.”   Councillor Ticehurst further said, “The Mayor Maree Statham would have been well aware by her own previous Media Release and correspondence received from both the Office of Local Government and Local Member for Bathurst, Paul Toole that all of funding of $3.6 million dollars for the recent construction of the 25-metre indoor heated pool was due to a Council Bank Loan approved under Round Two of the previous State Governments previous Local Infrastructure Renewal Scheme.   This so-called pool – indoors is now currently being funded by Lithgow ratepayers to the tune of some $380,000 each year and for each of the next 10 years to a private bank, a total of $3.8 million dollars. And this does not include any of the expected additional annual losses of more than $200,000 in additional Council operational expenses for the Lithgow Aquatic Centre.   In my opinion, the etiquette of the Lithgow Mercury and Mayor Maree Statham on this issue has been very disingenuous and mischievous with both readers, ratepayers and the Minister; by falsely claiming that the official opening of the new Lithgow Council indoor heated pool came about by a “$3.2 million grant from the NSW Government negotiated by State Member Paul Toole”.    State Budget papers publicly confirm that the Mayor Maree Statham’s $3.2 million dollar grant is in fact for the current and future Lithgow Aquatic Centre renovations of the publicly condemned 50-year-old, 50-metre Outdoor Pool and has been spread over two years, firstly some $800,000 in the current financial year and $2.3 million dollars in the next 2015-16 financial year.   “Mayor Maree Statham’s should immediately publicly apologise for her false and misleading public statements to ratepayers and Local Member for Bathurst and Minister for Local Government, Paul Toole. However, given past observations, ratepayers and Mr Toole would be best not to hold their breath.” Councillor Martin Ticehurst said.   Martin Ticehurst Councillor Lithgow City Council     

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References:   Lithgow Mercury Tuesday 16 June 2015: http://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/3147680/its-offical-lithgows-indoor-pool-opened-after-35-year-wait/?cs=1464   Lithgow City Council Mayoral Media Release: http://council.lithgow.com/media/2013/130731_MayorWelcomesNewFunding.html   Local Member for Bathurst and Office of Local Government letter confirming LIRS Funding: http://archive.lithgow.nsw.gov.au/agendas/13/0909/ITEM3.pdf   State Budget Papers: http://www.budget.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/124323/App_E.pdf  _____________________________________________________________________ This e-mail has been scanned for viruses by MCI's Internet Managed Scanning Services - powered by MessageLabs. For further information visit http://www.mci.com _____________________________________________________________________ This e-mail has been scanned for viruses by MCI's Internet Managed Scanning Services - powered by MessageLabs. For further information visit http://www.mci.com _____________________________________________________________________ This e-mail has been scanned for viruses by MCI's Internet Managed Scanning Services - powered by MessageLabs. For further information visit http://www.mci.com

Media Release 18 June 2014

Another Boost for the Lithgow Aquatic Centre

Yesterday’s announcement of $3M for the Aquatic Centre by Paul

Toole is another terrific boost for the Lithgow community.

“Councillor Thompson and I were absolutely ecstatic to be present at the recent State

Government Budget announcement that Lithgow will receive $3M in funding over two

years for the upgrade of the Lithgow Aquatic Centre” said Lithgow City Council Mayor,

Councillor Maree Statham “works have commenced on stages 2 and 3 of the Lithgow

Aquatic Centre Indoor Pool, a $3.6M project that will provide much needed year round

aquatic facilities for all members of the community.”

“Council has long been aspiring to have such a facility and now with this additional

funding on the project Council will be considering the completion of Stage 4 and the

refurbishment of the 50m Pool” said Mayor Statham.

“It is very clear to me that without the consistent lobbying by Paul Toole this funding

would not have come to fruition and we are extremely grateful for his hard work on

this.”

“I would also like to pay tribute to the Councillor Thompson who has been the Chair of

the Council’s Aquatic Centre Committee whos valued contribution over quite a number

of years has seen this project achieved” said Mayor Statham.

Councillor Ray Thompson today reiterated “Council has for some time been

investigating options available for the development of an aquatic centre for the

greater Lithgow community. This desire has been driven primarily by the poor

health status of the Lithgow community and the need for greater activities to

drive the population to be more active.”

“This facility will offer the opportunity to promote aquatics as a major health

resource in the community, something which is increasingly being done in other

areas. It is well documented that swimming is the least injury-prone recreational

activity and that it is an excellent pursuit for older residents. Many other sports

use aquatics programs to overcome injuries due to its low impact nature as well

as using the activity as a means of recovery.”

“I would also like to pay tribute to the efforts of Paul Toole for his support right

throughout his time as the local member and the support that he has shown

Lithgow, this has been absolutely terrific news and I could not be happier.”

“Stages 2 and 3 involving the construction of the indoor pool and associated

building are now underway and we expect that the facility will be operational this

time next year. I cannot wait to jump into the new facility” concluded Councillor

Thompson.

END

Contact: Clr Maree Statham Mayor Tel: 02 6354 9999 Fax: 02 6351 4259