Colin Gadd is the latest former Armidale councillor to declare he will stand again when the local government election is held in September.
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The former Armidale-Dumaresq councillor cited several issues the previous council had been working on, that influenced his decision to stand.
“Under the last council we started projects off, and even before the last council we started projects off, and I would like to see them finished before I retire from local government,” Mr Gadd said.
He listed Dumaresq Dam, the allocation of industrial land near Armidale Regional Airport, the new landfill and sporting facilities in the area, when asked what those projects were.
“My special interest is sporting facilities,” Mr Gadd said. “In the year that we haven’t had a council, I’ve been chairing the regional sports council and making sure (it) still has money to spend on sporting facilities both in Armidale and in Guyra.
“For instance we spent $60,000 developing sporting facilities in Guyra alone in the last 12 months. I’d like to continue with that,” he said.
The development of Dumaresq Dam as a recreation area was also on Mr Gadd’s agenda, as he said it would benefit the region.
“The first stage is doing up the dam, the second stage is developing the recreation area,” he said. “I can see that becoming Armidale’s beach, a real attraction for the area.”
Armidale Regional Council endorsed its dam redevelopment master plan late last year.
Concerning the landfill, Mr Gadd said he wanted to see the $14 million project completed as it had gone on for a long time.
“It was started, would you believe, over 11 years ago. Now I was involved with that before I was a councillor, it still isn’t finished and I’d like to see that through to its end.”
Mr Gadd said he had an affinity with Guyra – he was principal of Bald Blair Public School from 1979 to 1984 – and he could see himself representing the whole region without too much trouble.
“I think the next four years of the Armidale Regional Council are going to be extremely interesting, and probably the most important four years in the council’s history.”
