Work begins on $50m Yass council administration site amid ‘silent protest’

Yass Valley Council Mayor Allan McGrath described it as a “momentous event” and “not a moment for nervous Nellies” when he turned the first sod on the $50 million Crago Mill development in the town centre last week (June 27).

The project, which has been nearly 20 years in the planning, will be built on the site of the 1870 Crago Mill. It was purchased by Yass Valley Council (YVC) in 2006 with the plan that as the town grew it would be used for a new council administration building and community precinct.

Mr McGrath said a previous council had acquired the land but the current council was seeing the project through.

“This is an exciting milestone for the Yass Valley,” he said. “We have been working on this for many years and are proud to be working with the community to meet the needs of our growing Local Government Area (LGA).”

He said it was immediately apparent that by 2004 the Yass Valley council chambers were inadequate and in need of work.

YVC chief executive Chris Berry said the Crago project was an important step in meeting the needs of a diverse audience.

“This new precinct will create an inclusive and modern environment for community members and council staff,” he said. “Currently, we are unable to employ people who use wheelchairs or other walking aids due to our lack of accessibility. This is not acceptable.”

The new precinct will also include a library, cafe, space for government tenants and community groups, a community centre, public facilities and the Council’s administration building and chambers.

In a press release issued on June 17, but embargoed until June 27, the day of the groundbreaking ceremony at the site, members of the Yass Valley and surrounding community were invited to attend. But because the release was embargoed until the day of the event, only a small crowd showed up, mostly YVC employees. The First Nations ceremony announced to mark the event did not take place.

The $50 million construction project has created controversy in the community, particularly regarding the rationale for YVC borrowing $50 million for such a project when, according to residents, funds are urgently needed to upgrade the city’s water treatment facilities. Residents regularly encounter brown, foul-smelling water coming from their taps due to the age of the water treatment facilities.

Yass Valley resident Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Alvaro Charry attended the event with half a dozen others, describing their presence as a “silent protest” against the YVC for “continued failure in its duty of care to the community”.

He criticised the YVC for borrowing such a large sum to build a new administrative centre when residents were regularly faced with brown water coming from their taps.

“A glaring and obvious example is their continued failure to repair the Yass water treatment plant, a recurring problem that has affected a large number of Yass Valley residents for an incredible amount of time,” he said.

“People are very unhappy with this situation.”

A 28-year veteran of service, Lieutenant Colonel Charry called on the YVC to be more transparent in its activities. He launched a petition that already has more than 230 signatures.