Albrecht Oval - Sports Field Lighting
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Agenda Item: 9.3 Report No: 88 /19 ts TO: TECHNICAL SERVICES COMMITTEE - MONDAY 11 JUNE 2019 SUBJECT: ALBRECHT OVAL - SPORTS FIELD LIGHTING AUTHOR:DIRECTOR TECHNICAL SERVICES - SCOTT ALLEN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report is in regards to the public information session for the proposed Albrecht Oval Sport Field Lighting Project RECOMMENDATION That it be a recommendation to Council: 1. Council endorses the following time frames: A. Council submits the Albrecht Oval - Environmental Management Plan to the Department of Lands and Planning for approval B. Council approves the installation of the sports field lighting towers at Albrecht Oval C. Council goes out to tender for the installation of the sports field lighting towers at Albrecht Oval REPORT 1. BACKGROUND Council endorsed the following process regarding the Albrecht Oval - Environmental Management Plan (BMP) at the May 2019 Ordinary Council Meeting. Please note: points A through D have been completed: A. Technical Services Committee Meeting (Monday 13 May 2019) - Albrecht Oval Sports Field Lighting Report. B. Recommendations from Technical Services Committee Meeting (Monday 13 May 2019) are forwarded to Bill Low Ecological Services (14 May 2019). C. Council will be provided with a recommended final draft Environmental Management Plan at the Council Ordinary Meeting (Monday 27 May 2019) D. Albrecht Oval Sports Field Lighting Public Information Session (Thursday 30 May 2019) E. Council Report - Technical Services Committee Meeting (Monday 10 June 2019). F. Council Report - Council Ordinary Meeting (Monday 24 June 2019) 2. DISCUSSION Council has received the following correspondence regarding the installation of the sports field lighting at Albrecht Oval: • Email from AFLNT CEO Stuart Totham (Wednesday 29 May 2019 @ 4.18pm) to CEO Rex Mooney - Attachment A • Email from Larapinta Ratepayer (Thursday 30 May 2019 @ 8.18pm) to CEO Rex Mooney - Attachment B Following the Council Ordinary Meeting Report dated 24 June 2019, Council needs to finalise its position on the approval of the sports field light installations on Albrecht Oval or reject the proposal and return the NTG contribution of $600,000.00 Report No: 88 /19 ts Page 2 of 2 3. POLICY IMPACTS Alice Springs Town Council Strategic Plan - 2018 to 2021: Objective 2: Great place to live 2.1: Community life, promoting a healthy, vibrant culture 2.1.1 Provide sport, recreation and leisure opportunities which maximize social capital 4. FINANCIAL IMPACTS The total cost for the project is a combination of: • Council contribution of $600,000.00 (Report 161/16cncl, Resolution 18889) • Northern Territory Government contribution of $600,000.00 Total: $1,200,000.00 5. SOCIAL IMPACTS Additional lit sporting ovals will allow the ability to increase evening fixtures and provide opportunities for greater sport participation to Alice Springs residents. 6. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS The lights will have a perceived potential to reduce the aesthetics of the area 7. PUBLIC RELATIONS Sporting organisations and players will welcome the opportunity to train and play competitive matches under lights. Some residents have tabled their concerns regarding the installation of the lights. 8. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Email from AFLNT CEO Stuart Totham to CEO Rex Mooney Attachment B: Email from Larapinta Ratepayer to CEO Rex Mooney Attachment C: Meeting notes from the Public Information meeting held 30 May 2019 Scott Allen DIRECTOR TECHNICAL SERVICES ATTACHMENT A Wednesday, 29 May 2019 NORTHERN TERRITORY Alice Springs Town Council 93 Todd St Alice Springs, NT 0870 To Whom It May Concern, RE: Lights at Albrecht Oval AFL Northern Territory formally support the Alice Springs Town Council in pursuing the installation of lights at Albrecht Oval. Many benefits would include: • Provide AFLNT with the opportunity to introduce new competitions. Eg U16 Girls competitions on a Friday night • Provide AFLNT with the potential to run midweek juniors such as U12s • Will allow for more efficient CAFL scheduling when Traeger Park is unavailable • Will allow for marquee games to go ahead regardless of Traeger Park availability • Will allow for Senior CAFL Competition to grow with twilight games at both venues, increasing the time slots for junior matches to underpin CAFL programming • Will allow for state-wide competitions such as the Michael Long Cup to be played in Alice Springs as an alternative location to Darwin In 2018 there were 2,096 participants taking part in regular competition football in the Central Australia region and a further 2,613 in our dedicated Auskick and Thunder Junior programs in the area. Upgrading facilities are a key to growing our game in the NT. AFL Northern Territory will continue to support all upgrades to grounds and stadiums which will contribute to the ongoing growth of football in the NT. If you require any other information, please don't hesitate to contact our office. Kind regards, Stuart Totham Chief Executive Officer, AFLNT stuart.totham(a)afl.com.au NORTHERN KENNARDS CAZALYs CarltonaUnlted TERRITORY ------------------ Breweries TiO M\CC Australian Government GOVERNMENT PALMERSTON CLUB & Make iwrJobEJglll Australian Football League - Northern Territory Michael Long Learning and Leadership Centre, 70 Abala Road Marrara Northern Territory 0812 Telephone 08 8980 4801 Facsimile 08 8945 0069 All correspondence to PO Box 43196 Casuarina Northern Territory 0811 Australia www.aflnt.com.au ABN 81 097 620 525 From: |___________ j ATTACHMENTB To: Rex Mooney Cc: Scott Allen; ASTC Subject: lt"s Just Not Cricket Date: Thursday, 30 May 2019 8:18:00 PM Dear CEO, I am a rate payer and resident on Bokhara Street in Larapinta who attended the community meeting regarding the proposed lights at Albrecht Oval on Thursday 30th May 2019. I am writing to express my disappointment and concern at Alice Springs Town Council's inability to conduct an effective and safe community consultation. Surely, the chair of the meeting, who facilitates the meeting, should be a neutral candidate that shows genuine interest in conducting dialogue regarding the residents, whom will be directly impacted by this development, concerns. The facilitator and chair absolutely fails, yet again, to attain any order and diplomacy in the meeting. This is a complaint and I would like advice on how can officially lodge it? Secondly, no concerns that I personally raised in the meeting on 20th February 2019 or in my following submission were adequately addressed in the Environmental Management Plan, if at all. I felt unable to raise this in the meeting due to the relentless yelling from 30-60 something year old grown men, including the facilitator. Another complaint, I would like to lodge officially. Why is the council unable to facilitate a genuine consultation that addresses community concerns and MOST IMPORTANTLY has a trajectory where those concerns may actually have impact on the outcome of the proposal. At the very least the Council could conduct rigorous investigation into issues raised by using best practice measurements, field studies and comparative studies; not flippant nods to concerns in a document such as: 'Utilizing LED lighting to reduce light spill', 'Noise levels will be controlled through hours of operation' and 'Impact of the lights on nocturnal insects, bats and birds is expected to be minimal'. This development is going to impact residents and should be taken seriously. This development will use $600,000 of Alice Springs Town Council funds, rate payers money, and $600,000 from the broke NT government funds, tax payers money. Is it not absurd that rate payers and tax payers should be addressed with sincerity in this process. With proper community consultation this development could be a community asset that all party's agree on providing much more than a well lit cricket pitch. At the 30th May 2019 community meeting cricketers themselves raised that games will inevitably go past 10pm curfew enforced by Council. Their concerns and very practical input was disregarded. So what will happen when their games inevitably run until 11pm? And what is the point of making an international grade pitch if you cannot properly accommodate local sports people. I will be following up my concerns in anyway I see possible outside of your tokenistic consultations, as it seems the council is unable to provide a safe democratic space to provide feedback and fails to respond to reasonable issues raised and requests made. For the record, I am supportive of lighting being provided at the oval so all members of the community can enjoy better amenity playing sport. I am not supportive of a grossly over-scale lighting development that will directly face my living room and bedroom windows and doors until 10pm 4 nights a week. Council appears not to take the impact this will have on residents amenity genuinely or seriously, and unfortunately, it has left many residents disappointed, angry and searching for other avenues to express concerns. Please advise on how I may lodge my complaints. Regards, ATTACHMENTC Albrecht Oval - Environment Management Plan Final Draft Information Session Albrecht Oval - Clubhouse 5:30pm, Thursday 30 May 2019 The meeting opened at 5:30pm. 1. In Attendance: Deputy Mayor Matt Paterson Councillor Auricht Councillor Melky Councillor Banks Councillor Cocking Councillor Price Bill Lowe 2. Apologies: Mayor Damien Ryan Councillor Satour 3. Officers in Attendance: Rex Mooney, Chief Executive Officer Scott Allen, Director Technical Services Cindy Savage, Project Administration Assistant 4. Public Attendance: Approximately 50 people in attendance Deputy Mayor Matt Paterson commented that this is an information session regarding the revised BMP as a result of the Public Consultation 20 February 2019. Council approved the concept of improving the lighting at Albrecht Oval in 2010 as part of the Master Plan, the Master Plan for Alice Springs Sporting Facilities. On the 28th November 2016 at the ASTC Ordinary Council meeting a motion was moved that a feasibility study be conducted for field and training lights at Albrecht Oval.