Have you noticed something missing from the Gumeracha main street?
Stobie poles that have lined the street for decades are coming down this week along Albert Street from the Soldiers Memorial Hospital to Randell Terrace in the first step in the Gumeracha streetscape upgrade.
With underground power cables now operational, Mayor Jan-Claire Wisdom says the community-driven upgrade of the Gumeracha Main Street, that emerged from extensive consultation in the local area, is helping to transform the economic sustainability of local businesses and the visual appeal of the whole town.
"The stobie poles have served this town by providing electricity for many decades but it is now time for them to go," Mayor Wisdom says.
"We have a wonderful community project that has been many years in the making and involved an award-winning community engagement process.
"Over the coming weeks and months we are so looking forward to seeing the new infrastructure of trees and other streetscape projects replace the stobie poles.
"All of these changes, as well as future public art installations and traffic calming projects are going to make Gumeracha an even more appealing place to live and visit."
Civil Projects Coordinator, Oliver Pfueller, says partnering with SA Power Networks and Power Line Environment Committee (PLEC) to remove the stobie poles is an exciting conclusion to twelve months of working with the Gumeracha community to move power lines underground and bring the streetscape upgrade project to life.
"The removal of the existing overhead power lines and stobie poles along Albert Street is an important step in the Gumeracha Main Street Upgrade project that will also see the planting of new trees, installation of stormwater infrastructure, footpaths and roadside kerbs and then additional street benches and bicycle racks," Oliver says.
"These changes are going to greatly improve the aesthetics and appearance of the street and transform the township by opening up the street space making it more welcoming for residents, businesses and tourists."
Gumeracha Main Street Project Community Working Group members Hugh French and Libby Barber excitedly watched the first stobie pole come out of the ground on Friday morning.
"This process began many years ago when a range of short, medium and long-term goals were proposed to improve the economics and aesthetics of the township - the ultimate of which was the removal of the stobie poles - and here we are today watching them come down," Libby says.
"Community spirit and pride in the town has been really high since the transformation of the main street began and the removal of the stobie poles is a major milestone in this ongoing beautification project," Hugh says.
"It has been a wonderful collaboration with the project team and the Council working together to apply for grants and get us to the point we are at today watching the removal of the old stobie poles."
Watch out for the next stages of the upgrade which include new storm water management infrastructure due to be completed by August 2021 and streetscape upgrades including footpaths and kerbs, trees and street furniture by February 2022.
