A BREAKTHROUGH on council acquisition of property around Sooley Dam appears likely with at least one landowner having signed papers pertaining to the sale of land.
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Another five sales are close to being finalised.
With Greater Argyle Council wanting to bring on stream its $11.02m project to strengthen the dam's wall and raise its capacity from 4140 to 6100 Megalitres, the sticking point had been the smooth acquisition of surrounding land to act as a buffer zone.
Goulburn businessman and grazier, Keith Burgess, who was first approached by the then Goulburn City Council in 1998 to buy 6.2ha of his 200ha property abutting the dam, said delays since then caused by the request for extra land and other issues, had finally seen Great Argyle Council acquire no less than 40.28ha of his property.
"The buffer zone was originally supposed to have been 50 metres and a sticking point throughout much of the protracted negotiating period was no one could tell me - and no doubt other property owners - details of revised water rights," Mr Burgess said.
"The original water right agreement dated back to 1926 when work on Sooley Dam commenced and landowners were given access to the reservoir to water their livestock.
"The Friday before the July 20, 2004 ordinary Greater Argyle Council meeting, I had a visit from the Mayor Paul Stephenson and assistant general manager, Robert Mowle and we spent 90 minutes going through the detail of the then unsigned paperwork."
Some six to eight matters concerned Mr Burgess, including objection to an $80,000 charge to asphalt a road through the property.
"I (also) had issue with a plan to remove power from my land and I did not want to see boundary fences go up until I actually had the money.
