IT’S celebrated for its rich agricultural history and for being home to the annual Festival of the Fleeces.
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Situated on the Golden Highway halfway between Dubbo and Newcastle, it is the perfect place to rest and enjoy the local cafes and all the town has to offer.
However, Merriwa residents are concerned with the current state of the main street, in particular a large section of footpath.
Merriwa Senior Citizens Centre president Sue Staff said the issue was first put forward 18 months ago.
“We received a complaint at our monthly meeting that one of our members was frightened.
“She was worried about the state of the footpath and that someone would take a fall,” she said.
It’s the large number of travelers who stop to enjoy the town and the high percentage of elderly residents that concerns Ms Staff.
“We get a lot of people come through and stop on our main street and we are also a town that has a high number of elderly residents,” she explained.
“We are frightened about what might happen to them if they were to trip.”
Ms Staff said the Merriwa Progress Association wrote to the Upper Hunter Shire Council after the meeting, expressing their concern.
“This was about 18 months ago, and since then little has been done in the way of progress.”
Ms Staff said the council’s response indicated there was insufficient funds to deal with the problem.
It wasn’t until June 2017 when members of the Senior Citizens Centre read council was calling for expressions of interest for a public art project to be commissioned on the Merriwa silos that the issue came to a head for them.
“We just thought it was a bit unfair,” Ms Staff admitted.
“We are concerned about elderly residents having a fall and also the large number of visitors to the town we receive each year.
“We are concerned about their safety, too.
“If they can take action on other things and have the funds to do so, they should be able deal with this.
“It’s a safety concern that deserves attention.”
Lyn, who works at the IGA on the main street and has been a Merriwa resident for most of her life, said the employees also want something done about the front of their shop.
She admitted she had both witnessed and been a victim of the footpath cracks herself over the past few years.
“I had a fall outside the Happy Guru shop next door, I caught my shoe on a downpipe and and I fell forward, taking the impact on my hands and hurting my leg,” she said.
“I’ve also seen an elderly lady fall with her trolley just out the front here.
“She was trying to push the trolley past and went straight over.”
An Upper Hunter Shire Council spokesman said the holes had been previously filled with mortar but patches had become loose over time.
“The footpath outside the Merriwa IGA is the top priority and council will be repairing the pavement from the hotel down to the chemist on Bettington Street,” the spokesman said.
“The council construction crew is currently installing new culverts on the road to Willow Tree but, when that is completed, the footpath is the priority.”
