Hugh HaganApril Roundup - Drain & Firetrail Works, Australia Post Changes and More
This post includes information from February and March committee meetings - sorry for the delay in getting this information out.
Drain & Fire trail Works
The village management committee has approved significant maintenance and improvements to be made to the drain and fire trail network. This includes; cleaning out existing drains as well as digging new ones, draining swamp areas, topping up fire trails and filling in the old dams in Paddock A.
This maintenance should ensure that drains are able to cope with the heavy rainfall we have been receiving over the past two years.
Changes to Australia Post Services
Australia Post has changed the village's delivery service to 'Street Delivery', meaning that parcels should be delivered even if they don't fit in your letterbox.
Cotter Bridgeworks & Other Roadworks
Some roadworks and bridgeworks have been happening around our region, including the repainting of lines, installation of new crash barriers and some speed limit changes.
The Cotter bridge is also seeing some upgrades, including;
Widening to improve sight distances and safety from directions over the bridge across Cotter River which will allow B-Double vehicles to improve maneuverability;
Line marking and relocation of a section of the existing water main; and
Widening to improve sight distances and safety on both sides of the bridge over the Murrumbidgee River, including the relocation of existing Traffic Signals and line marking.
These roadworks are part of the Federal/ACT Government's jointly funded Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program.
2021 Rainfall
I've dug through the records from previous BOM weather stations that have previously been located in the village throughout its history and determined that 2021 was our wettest year on record.
In 2021, we recorded 1582mm, nearly double our yearly average of 811mm.
2022 Rainfall Outlook
As we head into late autumn and winter, above-average rainfall is expected to continue as a Negative Indian Ocean Dipole develops.
The wet weather over the past few months has been driven by a La Nina, which is now decaying but could make a return next spring.
That's all for this month's roundup. Sorry for the delay in getting this out, it should be quicker for next month.
Remember that you can find detailed committee meeting minutes on the files page