You spoke, we listened!
Following extensive community engagement regarding the new fish and boat cleaning bay, Whyalla City Council’s original plans have been altered to ensure they suit the main users.
Initial plans proposed shifting the facility to an alternate location, but community feedback – particularly from Whyalla Sea Rescue and boating / fishing groups – highlighted potential issues.
So council listened to the experts and repositioned the new facility closer to its current location.
Mayor Phill Stone said this was a great example of council and the community working together to get the best outcome.
“The best way to improve an existing facility is to consult with the people who are going to use it – that’s what we’ve done with this project and we hope it results in an ideal setup for everyone,” Mayor Stone said.
“It’s easy for people to make throwaway statements about council not listening, but that’s simply not true – when the feedback is sensible, practical and results in a better outcome, we always take it on board and incorporate suggested improvements wherever possible.”
Whyalla Sea Rescue Commodore Peter Olivier said the group genuinely appreciated seeing their feedback help to shape the final outcome.
“Council consulted with us and other users on the proposed changes and we told them we had concerns,” Mr Olivier said.
“To their credit, they listened and made further changes based on the feedback, so we’re really pleased with the end result, which is the best outcome for everyone who will use the new facility.”
Council’s General Manager City Growth Jodie Perone said the upgrade will provide a new boat / fish cleaning and waste disposal, as well as a freshly sealed / line-marked car park, forming part of ongoing improvements identified by the community through the Whyalla Foreshore Masterplan.
“The foreshore area is going to be completely transformed over the next few years with a new Splash and Play plaza; foreshore building; fish and boat cleaning; boat ramp; and marina car park – it will be quite spectacular,” Ms Perone said.
“We’re hoping it addresses the changes the community’s been seeking for some time and becomes a destination for families to enjoy one of our greatest natural assets.”
The upgrade gets underway soon, with the car park being graded in preparation for new bitumen in early November. The full project is planned to be completed by the end of the year.
Both the current fish cleaning station and the boat ramp (at least one side) will continue to be available for the majority of the project – we’ll provide advanced notice of any interruptions.
The fish cleaning portion of the project is being funded through State Government support under the Algal Bloom Response Local Government Grant program, which supports infrastructure that helps manage coastal impacts following recent algal bloom events.
A before photo of the carpark before the upgrade.