NRS-16861 | Minutes of the Baths Committee / Parks and Baths Committee [Leichhardt Council]

This series consists of the minutes from the meetings of the Baths Committee, later the Parks and Baths Committee of Leichhardt Municipal Council. The Baths Committee was formed to oversee the construction, maintenance and management of public, tidal baths at Iron Cove (sometimes referred to as 'Long Cove'). Under sections 227-232 of the Municipalities Act, 1897 (Act No.27, 1897) municipal councils were empowered to: acquire lands and erect baths; make by-laws and regulations for the regulation and control of baths; lease baths; etc. Section 109 (xvi) of the Local Government Act 1906 (Act No.56, 1906) gave councils powers for 'the construction, maintenance, and management of public baths; the regulation of bathing and the observance of decency in connection therewith; the provision of life-saving appliances, danger notices and life-saving attendants, and the construction, maintenance, and hiring by the council or other persons to the public of bathing-houses and bathing-machines, and the regulation thereof'.The committee expanded its function to include the management of Parks as well as Baths in April 1911. The committee was known from this time on as the Parks and Baths Committee. Under section 74 (v) of the Local Government Act 1906 (Act No.56, 1906) municipal councils were required to care and manage 'parks and recreation grounds, public reserves, and commons, the care of which is not by or under any statute vested in other bodies or persons'.The minutes are recorded over two volumes in chronological order. Details recorded include the names of persons attending meetings, election of office bearers, and particulars of resolutions or other business attended to by the Committee. Matters dealt with include baths construction and maintenance; correspondence with the Water Sewerage Board (connection of water mains); correspondence with the Baths lessee, the Baths architect and the Baths contractor tendering of works (including preparation of plans and specifications); and arrangements for opening hours, admittance etc.The later minutes detail any maintenance required by both parks and baths in the Leichhardt Municipality. They also report on any requests from sporting or community groups to use or lease parks and discuss the conditions under which the park is to be used. Any matters relating to improvements needed and requests for resumptions of parkland are also discussed.Section 109 of the Municipalities Act of 1867 (31 Vic. No.12), which was assented to on 23 December 1867, allowed municipal councils to appoint either standing committees or occasional (special) committees, composed of councillors, and to delegate to the committees 'any inquiry negotiation or arrangement or power to do any emergent act or to carry out any work which such Council may have ordered agreed to or directed'. However, Committees had to report to the council at the earliest opportunity.The reports and recommendations document the decisions made by the Committee at its meetings. The minutes of each meeting of the Committee were confirmed at the following committee meeting and signed by the chairman to guarantee that they were a true and accurate record.However such recommendations were not binding upon Council. The Committee's recommendations were normally submitted to the next Council meeting. Council could reject the recommendation, send the recommendation back to the committee for further discussion, amend the recommendation, or accept the recommendation. The recommendations were not binding upon Council unless, and until, adopted by Council as shown in the minutes of the Council meeting.