Last chance.

Hello again,

With only two days left to contact Council before the meeting on Wednesday, following is another version of a sample letter.

However, in your own words is always better!

Please also include or  bcc Bermagui Community Forum so they have an idea of how many letters are being sent.

If you have already sent a letter to Council (thank you), it would be much appreciated if you could forward it to BCF too: bermaguiforum@gmail.com

One last chance to make a difference.

Thank you,

Karen

To:
council@begavalley.nsw.gov.au,
rfitzpatrick@begavalley.nsw.gov.au,
lseckold@begavalley.nsw.gov.au,
rbain@begavalley.nsw.gov.au,
mnadin@begavalley.nsw.gov.au,
tallen@begavalley.nsw.gov.au,
"Dodds, Jo" <jdodds@begavalley.nsw.gov.au>,
Cathy Griff <cgriff@begavalley.nsw.gov.au>,
bega@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Bermagui Forum <bermaguiforum@gmail.com>

What to say - pls put this in your own language and focus on what matters to you:

Dear Mayor Fitzpatrick, Bega Council Members and Minister Constance,
I write with concern about your plans and recent vote in support of destroying our much loved heritage wooden bridge at Cuttagee and ask that you hear our community wishes, consult with us and reconsider these plans.
The much loved Cuttagee Bridge is heritage listed and considered iconic. It makes the Cuttagee lake/estuary area safer for swimmers, particularly children, as drivers have to slow down for the single lane bridge. The bridge, featured in books, movies and numerous tourism promotions, is an important part of the Bermagui region and is treasured by locals and visitors alike.
A two-lane concrete replacement bridge would allow drivers to travel much faster across the water body, endangering lake and beach users who park along the road.
I have concerns too for the wetland environment that would be impacted by the lengthy construction. As the Cuttagee Beach is right in the middle of an environmentally important wetland area, I do not believe the Council has considered, nor followed required environmental procedures, to ensure that destroying it and constructing a new bridge would not cause irreparable damage to this important coastal habitat. I would like to know more about if and how such a demolition and rebuilding plan has been done without a more detailed impact study.
I am extremely concerned that the Council did no community consultation about this before voting to destroy our much loved bridge, nor thought to explore the alternative options for repairing the bridge.
Please reconsider the destruction of beautiful Cuttagee Bridge and engage with us in the community who are interested in working with you to find a solution that means we can preserve our heritage bridge while addressing safety concerns.
As part of a local community group committed to saving our bridge, please respond before your next Council meeting about how we can work together to Save Cuttagee Bridge.
Sincerely,
NAME
Email
Address
Phone if you want to
ps - I am one of nearly 10,000 people who signed an online petition organised by a local community member on Change.org. I believe the growing number of people who have signed this petition from the local area and around the country deserve to be recognised and listened to. There are very few ways for most people to personally interact with the Council. This is one important way that should be acknowledged.