Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
TALKS on building a rescue helicopter landing pad at the site of the old pilot station the Narooma headland continued last week.
Eurobodalla Shire Council’s infrastructure manager Warren Sharpe last Wednesday met with representatives from the Narooma units of Marine Rescue and the VRA rescue squad.
Also present was Dalmeny resident Peter Bernard, representing the volunteers who built the Dalmeny to Narooma cycleway and who are keen to help out council again.
State Member Andrew Constance back in February announced $5000 in funding to Marine Rescue toward the helipad project.
But Mr Sharpe said additional funding would need to be secured, as there needed to be an archaeological study of the site looking for any evidence of Aboriginal habitation or usage.
The location was adjacent to the new Marine Rescue and VRA headquarter buildings and not far from the site of the old pilot station and signal mast, the remnants of which including partially buried concrete blocks were still visible.
The proposed helipad was on a council reserve and so came under council care and control, while additional input would have to be secured from the NSW Health department and ambulance service, he said.
The site is already the default emergency helicopter landing area for rescue services such as the Snowy Hydro SouthCare chopper, although Bill Smyth Oval and other sporting fields are also used on occasion.
None of these sites meet the guidelines for a secondary helicopter landing site (HLS) as outlined by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
Mr Bernard said some of the concreting volunteers that helped build the 7km shared pathway had already expressed an interest and the proposed helipad should not require much more than 10 cubic metres of concrete.
Council will now consult with the health services, start working on a design and the archaeological survey.
