The Magnetic Island Residents and Ratepayers Association met at the RSL Club on Saturday, March 6 with a full house and a jam-packed agenda.
After approving requests for letters of support - from the school, applying for a grant to upgrade the playground, from the Community Development Association applying for a grant to build an evacuation centre - the meeting heard that work had begun on retrieving the West Point Road after the rains, and that President Cameron Turnbull was in contact with Transport and Main Roads about resolving the car parking crisis at the Nelly Bay Terminal.
Then Sergeant Steven Lord, OIC at Magnetic Island police station, addressed the meeting, giving a short outline of his 17-year career in the police force and addressing the community concerns about understaffing of the police station. He said staffing levels were based on permanent residents (about 2,500 people) and did not take into account the annual 1,000,000 bednights for tourists or the day trippers. He said he had applied for extra officers but the timing was wrong as a new Police Commissioner had decided to overhaul police operations and no decisions would be made until the new modus operandi was sorted. As far as the opening hours of the station for administrative matters is concerned, there was a suggestion from the floor that the English system of “Volunteers in Policing” could be examined as one way of relieving the pressure. Sergeant Lord will look into it.
Senior Constable Brendan Nugent then presented a request for a letter of support for a grant of $14,500 to place six cameras along the main road to enhance the police’s ability to solve crime. The meeting endorsed the plan.
MICDA president Les Sampson showed a Powerpoint presentation of his somewhat unrealistic vision for the future of Magnetic Island – the community working together in a series of groups to create a blueprint for the future.
There was a complaint about the proposal to erect flashing speed limit signs on the hills and Sergeant Lord explained the need for them. It was also noted that the lights in the terminal carpark had been out for some time and President Cameron Turnbull will take this up with Transport and Main Roads.
A plan was made to retrieve the vandalised seats from the Picnic Bay jetty which are in the water beneath the jetty. The council will reattach them once they are back on dry land.
There will be no meeting in April because of Easter, next meeting will be at 10 am, May 1, at the RSL hall.