GSC Highlights, from the General Manager
Published on 20 January 2020
Gilgandra Shire Council’s General Manager, David Neeves gives a recap on Council highlights from 2019.
“The drought has sunk its teeth into our community and with another failed cropping season, all business within our Shire have come under further financial distress. To help lessen the pain, Council has been very active in trying to source external grant funding to act as a cash injection into our economy.
The Federal Government’s Drought Communities Programme funding of $1M for community infrastructure projects and events to boost the local economy was a welcome initiative that lifted local spirits. With the support of local community and sporting groups, 23 projects/events were created and delivered within eight months of the announcement. This activity saw many local contractors and businesses benefit and the program delivered much needed upgrades to many community facilities throughout the Shire.
In December 2019 there was an announcement of a further $1M under the Drought Communities Programme Extension, and Council has again invited projects from community groups for review at the March Council meeting.
In the 2018/19 financial year, Council completed $7.16M of capital works, with notable projects being:
- An upgrade to the area behind the CBD adjacent to the river, with creation of a dedicated Caravan parking area and dump point to encourage tourists in to the CBD. Also included was an extension of the “Windmill Walk” and beautification works. Funding for this project was under the Stronger Country Communities Round 1.
- Completion of two new hard stand multi-purpose basketball/netball courts, two upgraded cricket nets and commencement of a significant upgrade to the lighting at McGrane Oval under the Stronger Country Communities Round 2 funding.
- Ongoing upgrades to our local road network continued with Council undertaking $1.12 M of bitumen reseals and gravel resheeting funded through the Roads to Recovery program. A further $196,000 was spent through the additional roads allocation on resheeting. A total of 22km of gravel resheeting was completed.
- Complete renovation of eight rooms within Cooee Lodge Hostel since 2018, providing residents with greater space and accessible bathrooms. There is a total of 13 rooms that will be completed in this project.
In 2019/20 Council commenced and is continuing work on the following major capital projects:
- Construction of the new SES shed with funding from the Office of Liquor and Gaming Infrastructure Grants, Council and SES contributing to the project.
- Upgrades to the Works Depot
- Special Disability Accommodation project
- Cooee Hostel will see the installation of a brand new kitchen, with the special care wing also gaining an upgrade to their preparation kitchen
- A new bore for Tooraweenah is in progress with drilling works complete.
The NSW Government provided $300,000 towards the costs of maintenance and improvements on Council roads under the Drought Relief Heavy Vehicle Access Program. Council used the funds, along with Roads to Recovery Funds, to undertake shoulder repairs and road surface repairs on a 6.6km segment of the Berida Bullagreen Road.
Council also welcomed the announcement by Deputy Premier, John Barilaro that the NSW Government would fund $3.9M towards a new industrial subdivision. This investment will help Council future-proof the supply of large scale industrial land and provide employment generating opportunities.
It was a welcome surprise and an acknowledgement to Council’s planning and commitment to cultural services when the NSW Government announced funding under the Regional Growth Fund of $500k for Library upgrades and $1.5m for the Coo-ee Heritage Centre. It is an exciting time and Council is looking forward to successfully completing these upgrades, as well as many others in the coming years.
The Inland Rail continued to progress, with ARTC commencing environmental studies to eventually justify the narrowing of the rail corridor and its ultimate location. Council continued to pursue better outcomes for the affected landholders with numerous representations to Government. Whilst this was occurring and Council, wearing an economic development hat, continued to explore opportunities with potential construction companies to promote Gilgandra as the “Construction Hub” for the N2N section of the Inland Rail.
Council launched its new branding in early 2019 which was developed to achieve consistency across Council services, give the community a sense of pride and ownership of the region and to make evident the potential opportunities for visitors and investors in our region. The new branding highlights Council’s vision for the future - ‘Live, Enjoy, Grow’.
In March, Council received confirmation that the Target Country Gilgandra store would close in July 2019. The news was extremely disappointing and Council took all reasonable actions to convince Target Australia to reconsider its decision. Unfortunately, it was to no avail and was a hard hit to our local economy, already struggling on the back of the drought.
Following this announcement, concerns of businesses and the wider community were brought to Council and workshopped for ways that Council could assist in revitalising the CBD. Council was and continues to be, determined to work with our local businesses to ensure our CBD remains resilient in the face of the current drought, as well as the global trends with the changing face of retail.
Council purchased the former Target building with the view for this to ultimately become Gilgandra’s Library and community hub. In the interim, and focussing on activating the CBD, Council, businesses and the community came together to deliver the 12 Days of Christmas at ‘the GIL’. This initiative saw local businesses, makers and artists showcase their wares in a centralised shopping experience in the Gilgandra CBD, which ran alongside the Shop Local program and the Gilgandra Region digital campaign, #GilgandraGiftGuide. With over $20,000 in sales, this program saw a positive boost to the local economy, as well as an increase in traffic to our main street.
In November, Council committed to the Shop Local program and contributed $50,000 in ‘Cooee Cash’ local shopping cards. There were 50 draws of Cooee Cash cards to the value of $1000. There was close to 17,400 entries received with an estimated $1.4 million in value – all of which was spent locally! It was a great way for Council to support the community and inject real money into the local economy. While this figure was down on spend from last year, with the effects of the drought really seen, it has still been a positive outcome for our community.
Council acknowledges the hardship being experienced by residents and business within our Shire as a result of this ongoing drought. We need to acknowledge and thank the committed volunteers who continue to go above and beyond to support our community, many of whom are themselves suffering from the drought.
We look forward to a continued good working relationship between Councillors and staff as we work towards achieving the objectives set out in Council’s Community Strategic Plan and Delivery Program.”
If you would like more information on any of the above, please contact Council directly on 6817 8800 or by email enjoy@gilgandra.nsw.gov.au.
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Contact: Kathryn Larkin
Marketing & Communications Manager
klarkin@gilgandra.nsw.gov.au