ST KILDA Football Club looks likely to quit Seaford and head back to Moorabbin just five years after making the move to Frankston. Behind the scenes discussions between Kingston Council, the state government, the AFL and the Saints seem to be preparing a way for the football club to return its administration and training base to Moorabbin Reserve. Premier Daniel Andrews told sports radio station SEN last week that Moorabbin is “probably the logical place” for the Saints to be based. Mr Andrews said relocating St Kilda to Junction Oval is not an option since Labor had promised Cricket Victoria…
Author: Neil Walker
PUNTERS pumped more than $62 million into poker machines in Frankston in 2012-13. The jackpot for pokies venues was revealed in a council officers’ gambling policy report lodged at this month’s council meeting. Councillors were horrified at the amount of money “sucked out” of Frankston each year and vowed to take a stand against the further spread of electronic gaming machines at inappropriate locations. The Seaford Taverner Hotel topped the list of pokies venues coining it in with a staggering $15.78 million lost between July 2012 and June 2013 at the hotel. Cr James Dooley noted the Seaford Taverner Hotel…
FRUSTRATED Frankston line commuters are facing ten peak time train cancellations on average per week according to information requested from Metro Trains. March seemed to be a particularly bad month for cancellations and delays along the Frankston line with commuters taking to online social media to express their anger at being left high and dry at train stations during peak times. Metro advised The Times that 81 train services were cancelled during March and 42 of those cancellations were during peak periods. Reasons for cancelled services included vandalism, infrastructure faults, a fatality, trespassers on lines, police requests and anti-social behaviour.…
A PUBLIC united front by Kingston Council against the redevelopment of Kingston golf courses will soon face its first major test. Councillors unanimously voted at March’s public council meeting to instruct council officers to prepare an official council golf course policy which would see council advocate for golf course land to be “used for purposes that allow the land to retain green and open vistas” if a privately-owned golf club sells land. A bid by Melbourne-based property fund manager ISPT to have the Kingswood Golf Course in Dingley Village rezoned for residential development will be put to council in the…
RATEPAYERS face a 5.5 per cent rise in rates as part of Frankston Council’s 2015-16 draft budget. Councillors passed the draft last week and will now seek public feedback before formally approving the budget in May. At last Monday evening’s council budget meeting, councillors congratulated themselves on keeping staff costs down when discussing the draft budget. Council labour costs, totalling $56.96 million in 2014-15, have dropped from about 52 per cent of expenditure to about 48 per cent in 2015-16, but will rise to $58.46 million according to the draft budget. While councillors were vocal about efforts to keep staff…