NOW is the time.
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The blueprint for Wagga's future was mapped out by Committee 4 Wagga (C4W) yesterday - the ideas have been laid on the table and the community urged to speak up, not sit back.
C4W launched its latest strategic plan in front of about 40 business representatives - all with a vested interest in driving the state's largest inland city forward.
The plan provides direction for the committee's policies and activities for the next 12 months, but more long-term projects are also explored.
The much-debated levee bank upgrade, Gobbagombalin Bridge bottleneck solution and duplication of Glenfield Road are on the list.
So is a proposal to transform one block of Baylis Street into a pedestrian-friendly zone and solar lights to illuminate Lake Albert.
C4W chief executive Chris Fitzpatrick said the 45-page document was about trying to get "the players" together.
"We can't expect (projects) to happen without all being on the same page," Mr Fitzpatrick told The Daily Advertiser following the launch.
"We've got to demand our share."
Based on average population growth of 1.3 per cent in the past 10 years, the strategic plan indicated Wagga will be home to 80,000 people by 2030 - an increase of 26 per cent, or 16,500 people, on 2012.
"It's an overarching plan that allows the city to develop with a growing population," Mr Fitzpatrick said.
"It's a plan that keeps pace with that population growth and delivers infrastructure for the city."
C4W chairwoman Judy Galloway described the plan as a "living document" and everyone had a vested interest in the city's future.
"It (the strategic plan) a vehicle to enable businesses and the community to have a say in the future of Wagga," Mrs Galloway said.
"I think for too long we've only put our hands up and complained when something didn't happen."
Mayor Rod Kendall told the launch it was important to recognise most of the projects listed in the strategic plan were partnerships.
Councillor Kendall emphasised if the community wanted something to happen, they couldn't sit back quietly.
"If you believe something needs to happen, you've got to be prepared to say you support it," Cr Kendall said.
"So often we don't get that feedback, so often we only hear from those who don't want something to happen.
"If you want money from the state we need to have a combined effort and noise that says the whole city is behind it."
A VISIONARY project to transform a section of Baylis Street into a shared pedestrian zone has been backed by the Wagga Business Chamber, but met with mixed community reaction.
The proposal was mentioned at yesterday's Committee 4 Wagga (C4W) strategic plan launch as a way to combat the city's lengthy shopping strip.
The zone has been mooted for the Baylis Street block between Morrow and Tompson streets, but it isn't included in the document at this stage.
C4W chief executive Chris Fitzpatrick first spruiked the idea in the winter edition of the committee's newsletter, where he said it was inevitable a section of Baylis Street would become a pedestrian-friendly shared zone.
Mr Fitzpatrick said the underused Civic Centre precinct and Wollundry Lagoon area provided a natural backdrop and the length of the street didn't reflect changing retail habits.
"We are caught with a historical main street ... and in today's shopping world it is very difficult to sustain and support that strip shopping," Mr Fitzpatrick said during the launch.
Wagga Business Chamber (WBC) president James Howell said the idea, in principle, was great and would allow for events to be centred in that location.
"Having more retail businesses (in an area) which people can walk through would encourage more people to come down town," Mr Howell said.
The idea was met with mixed reaction by shoppers and retailers spoken to by The Daily Advertiser yesterday.
Owner of Rynehart's Fashion Boutique Jackie Gash said the the lack of through traffic, and parking, would make shopping difficult for most of her clientele.
"The older community need to be able to get as close to the door as possible," Ms Gash said.
"I don't think Wagga is that busy of a place (to make the zone work)."
An employee of another business in the block described the idea as random, but one that could prove positive in the long term.
"It would make people more comfortable to come down this end of the street," the employee said.
"It is quieter here and I think it would coax people down here."
C4W is working with stakeholders on a feasibility study for the proposal.
A BRIGHT idea to enhance one of Wagga's most popular recreational assets has been met with support from the people who use it.
The perimeter of Lake Albert could be lit with 75 solar lights as part of a Committee 4 Wagga (C4W) push to improve safety in the area.
The installation of the pedestal lights along the walkway has been listed as a high priority in C4W's strategic plan, launched yesterday.
C4W indicated a number of benefits in its proposal, including improved aesthetic appeal, increased tourism, greater community interaction in a communal space and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
People spoken to by The Daily Advertiser at the lake yesterday backed the addition, with safety the main motivator to have the lights installed.
"I reckon it would be good, especially in summer, so you can go for a walk once the sun goes down," Rachael Townsend said.
Her friend, Taela Crothers, said she would feel a lot more safe.
Ken, who chose not to provide his full name, said it was an "excellent idea".
"If people who knock off work at night can go for a walk and know they're going to be safe," he said.
Lake Albert advocate Robert Lazzarini, who lives nearby, said he was concerned about the proposal.
Mr Lazzarini said the shared walkway was just 2.8 metres wide and people had expressed concern about the danger of bikes.
"I just wonder if this idea is an invitation for cyclists to use this as their private track," Mr Lazzarini said.
He also questioned how additional poles would "beautify" the area and said people didn't use the walkway at night.
"I just wonder whether it's necessary," he said.
"I haven't heard of any problems of people using the park in the dark."
In a statement, Wagga City Council said it intended to consult the community on the issue when it reviewed the Lake Albert Management Plan early next year.
"The project is not funded and would be dependent on a funding source.
Part of the C4W proposal would see additional money raised by selling personalised plaques, which would be placed on the light posts.
DESPITE its young age, Wagga's Gobbagombalin Bridge is "already an impediment to growth to the north of the city", according to the Committee 4 Wagga (C4W).
A large part of C4W's plan for the next 12 months has been driven by increased congestion on major arterial roads and the need for action sooner rather than later.
Another bridge over the Murrumbidgee floodplain - next to the existing 12-year-old structure - and duplication of connecting Glenfield Road are needed to adequately service existing traffic and projected increases from the city's growth areas to the north and south.
"You can't grow Estella and North Wagga without servicing the ability to get there and back," C4W chief executive Chris Fitzpatrick said.
Mr Fitzpatrick said Red Hill Road and the Gobbagombalin Bridge were major arterial road networks that would serve the city into the future.
"We need to ensure that we're not going to get dragged into the blues of getting to work, road rage and all the rest of it," Mr Fitzpatrick said during the launch.
"It (Glenfield Road) needs to be upgraded to a level the city deserves."
Despite emphasis being placed on Gobbagombalin, Wagga City Councillor Alan Brown questioned if the committee had taken into account the critical upgrade required on the Eunony Bridge.
"It's forcing a lot of heavy vehicles onto the Gobba Bridge and forcing heavy vehicles through the city," Councillor Brown told yesterday morning's launch.
"For me, it's a much higher priority than duplicating the Gobba Bridge."
Member for Wagga Daryl Maguire said a funding application to increase the weight limit on Eunony Bridge was "under way" and he was working collaboratively to get a result.
When questioned if he was looking at future options to ease the Gobbagombalin Bridge bottleneck, Mr Maguire said long-term planning was "something this city needed to be embracing".
"There will be other infrastructure needs identified and prioritising them in a plan, like the Committee 4 Wagga has done, is the appropriate way to go, in conjunction with council and the state government," Mr Maguire said.
"As one we are far more powerful and have louder voices."
JETS in and out of Wagga are imperative to keep the city's growth flying high and reduce air traffic congestion.
Committee 4 Wagga (C4W) has jumped behind the controls in a bid to have Wagga City Council engage with private partners to own Wagga Airport, rather than lease it.
The current 30-year lease from the federal government expires in 2025.
C4W chief executive Chris Fitzpatrick said the thing that had seen Albury and Newcastle airports soar over Wagga was ownership by their respective councils.
"A private-public partnership allows for development of the site," Mr Fitzpatrick said.
In its strategic plan, C4W said there were an estimated 220,000 passenger movements in 2011 and the figure is expected to jump to 350,000 by 2020.
"Based on the continued use of 48-seater aircraft this would equate to 7291 flights per annum or 140 flights per week," the plan said.
"The consistent growth in aircraft movement will create significant pressure on the ability to service demand and facilitate landing slots."
The plan also indicated it was "imperative" 140-seat jets operate out of Wagga to cater for passenger demand, retain the ability to do business in Sydney in one day and sustain the viability of the airport as a service centre for the Riverina.
In a statement, Wagga City Council said it was "already investigating a number of options for tenure over the airport site" and the current infrastructure could support aircraft of the size C4W suggested.
Discussions are ongoing.