ARMIDALE Dumaresq Ratepayers Association chairwoman Maria Hitchcock will present a petition to councillors later this month after collecting four pages of signatures calling on Council to Save the Dam
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Ms Hitchcock has organised a public meeting about the dam on Tuesday, October 28 at Council chambers from 5.30pm.
"We need as many people as possible to attend as we will be putting forward motions which will be sent to Council in our submission to save the dam," Ms Hitchcock said.
The petition will also be circulated at this Sunday's Markets in the Mall, with a stall near June's Jewellery.
The Armidale Dumaresq Ratepayers Association wants Council to strengthen the existing dam wall, which is expected to cost about $3.4 million.
The association also wants Council to consider government funding alternatives.
A report prepared by consultancy company Arup concluded this was “the preferred option due to limited effect on dam aesthetics and improvements to the longevity of the wall”.
In 2012 Dumaresq Dam had been deemed unsafe by the NSW government’s dam safety committee.
There are fears people on the floodplain could die if the 100-year-old dam wall was to break, which the committee found was possible in the event of a major storm or an earthquake.
Mayor Laurie Bishop said the decision of the dam’s future would rest with the community, with Council seeking submissions into the issue.