THE last piece of the 2010 flood restoration puzzle fell into place last week when local member John Barilaro presented Queanbeyan City Council with a natural disaster relief cheque worth $104,000 on behalf of the State Government.
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While the post-flood repair work to local parks and road infrastructure has since been completed, Queanbeyan City Council has now recouped the cost of the repairs from the state, with the total cost coming in at around $1.3 million.
"Queanbeyan City Council was one of 67 councils covered by the declared natural disaster that affected most of the State, west of the Great Dividing Range," Mr Barilaro said on Thursday.
"Council applied for assistance with the cost of extensive debris clean-up from roads, footpaths, parks and other community areas, as well as repairs to infrastructure.
"This important grant will help to pay the full cost of repairs and replacement of the important storm water pumps across the city, including the pumps in Trinculo Place, Blundell Park and Elizabeth Park," he said.
In the last three financial years, more than $30 million in NSW Government payments have been made to councils to cover the costs of emergency works and damage to council-owned assets across the state.
Under an agreement with the Australian Government, NSW pays for the first $119.7 million of natural disaster infrastructure costs each year. The Australian Government matches NSW expenditure for costs between $119.7 million and $209.5 million and beyond that covers three quarters of all costs.
Queanbeyan mayor Tim Overall welcomed the grant and said it helped bring the major flood event to a close.
"The additional $104,000 is welcome and follows further information provided by Council to NSW public works to justify its [natural disaster] claim," Cr Overall said.
"All that [repair] work has previously been undertaken by council and this funding assists by recompensing Council under the natural disaster assistance program," he said.