Guyra has benefited from the merger, Simon Murray – Armidale Regional Council mayor, deputy mayor of the former Guyra Shire Council, and Guyra resident – believes.
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“The reality is: we didn’t meet financial requirements; we were struggling all the time,” Cr Murray said. “What do you do? Do you keep going down that line, or do you change?”
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Under the merger, Cr Murray said, all services are provided, while many residents feel roads, mowing, and cleaning up are all done better now.
“Most of the Guyra people I know are quite happy with how things are going now,” Cr Murray said. “I think the majority would say there’s been no real change.”
The great advantage to Guyra, Cr Murray said, was the $12 million, 15 km Malpas Dam pipeline, which will permanently drought-proof Guyra, solving its water security and quality issues.
“The pipeline is the big benefit Guyra has got out of council,” Cr Murray said.
“While some people argue the work was done by the Guyra Shire Council, it wasn’t.”
The Guyra council looked at three options: the pipeline; raising the dam wall at Guyra itself; and building off-river storage.
“Guyra didn’t have the capacity to do all the leg-work to do that planning,” Cr Murray said.
“If we were still a council, we’d have to employ someone else to do all the work. We would then be struggling to get a grant to fund it, or we’d have to sacrifice in other areas.”
The Armidale Regional Council is also looking after youth and Aboriginal services, which weren’t provided under Guyra Shire Council. Council employs a youth co-ordinator, and is forming an Aboriginal advisory committee in Armidale and Guyra.
Council is also looking 30 years ahead to develop the town.
In October, council’s Regional Growth Advisory Committee met members of the Armidale Business Chamber, the Guyra & District Chamber of Commerce, Locals 4 Locals, and community representatives.
Their plans include making Guyra a controlled environment horticulture centre, with renewable energy from water, bio waste, and methane; and buying land parcels for industrial purposes.
They also plan to bring in more tourists by expanding the Lamb and Potato Festival, upgrading the showground, establishing a motor home park, doing up the Mother of Ducks Lagoon, and building a charge point for electric vehicles.
“Council appears to be very positive about doing things to develop Guyra, and to bring more businesses to the Guyra region,” Hans Hietbrink, Chamber of Commerce president and last mayor of Guyra Shire Council, said at the time.