Hello and welcome to this week's Council Connect, Alexandria here, Deputy Mayor for Dungog Shire. I'll make it short and sweet because I know we are all looking forward to getting into the long weekend.
So last night at our council meeting we endorsed the Community Strategic Plan to go on exhibition. So that means that it's going to be out there for you to have your say and have your comments. We're looking forward to everyone's feedback on this. I know as part of the strategic plan in the past we've had a lot of things we say we're going to do, but this time round we've said no, let's look at what we can do to make it more aligned to what we're able to deliver in terms of capacity. I know we've gone from something like 224 aspirations down to around 72 I think it was. So that's exciting, but we really need you to have your input and your say as to how that continues to look. These are all based on the things that we've asked you about in the past and what you want to see happen, but we do need to sense-check those as we go on. So that's coming up and I'll put some dates down in the comments as well for you in terms of engagement because it won't just be going out on exhibition, online this time, we've asked for some community engagement workshops to happen around the Shire.
So there'll be one in Dungog, one in Vacy, one in Paterson, one in Gresford, and one in Clarence Town. We'll put the dates and times in the comments below so that as many of us can get along to those as possible. I certainly will be going along to as many of those as possible to make sure that I'm having conversations with people around this document and how we want it to be, because the community strategic document plan really guides everything else that follows from there in terms of priorities and what happens, so it's important that we all have our say.
Moving along to some other updates this week, we've had the Brig O' Johnston Bridge closed for repairs, so we know that came along pretty sudden. So as you probably know, Transport for NSW contacted council on Monday and advised the bridge would be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday for urgent repairs. They did an assessment, identified some issues and had to close it for everybody's safety. But the exciting news is the work on the new bridge is going to start in May, so that's exciting. Initial activities, the first phase will involve setting up the site, clearing the area and all the preparation work that goes into being able to then start hammering in the nails. So we're encouraging you to keep an eye on the website and our social media channels for updates on the project, including any changes to traffic conditions during the new bridge build. There will be times where it's just frustrating, but I think once we get to the other side, you know the impact will be far greater and a positive one, so that's good.
So Easter long weekend, we have a lot of great events happening in town over this period, which is very exciting. We've got the Rodeo at the showground in Dungog, but we've also got the Billy Cart Derby coming up on Saturday in Gresford. I've got my Billy Cart ready so hopefully a lot of other people have got theirs too. I'm really looking forward to that event and flying down that hill in Gresford, and up here the Easter Bunny's going to make an appearance as well, so there'll be plenty of chocolate to go with all that. We also have, the following weekend, Anzac Day ceremonies, so we'll put a list of where those ceremonies are happening around the Shire in the comments below as well, so if you'd like to get along to those, I know I'll be up at 5:30 in the morning attending the Paterson one.
Moving on to something that we should remember is that our flood anniversary is coming up on Easter Monday as well, so that will mark 10 years since the Dungog flood, and I know that impacted the lives of many and is still felt in some ways. But I think it's also pertinent to remember how far we've come since then, and how we've worked together to overcome what was a really difficult time. So the Dungog Anglican Church is holding a service of candle lighting, prayer and reflection at 6:00pm on the 21st of April for anyone that's interested in attending that.
So that brings us to an end of my list of things to talk about this week, but I've also been at the Community Builders in Paterson this week and there's been some really exciting conversations come out of that, and it was really nice to see the community coming together. Paterson's had a lot going on at the moment, so it was good to see the people coming together and discussing about what it is we have now, what it is we want to keep, what it is we might change, but also what we want to see happen in the future. So they're starting that, their plan. I know we've done plans in Gresford, in Vacy, Clarence Town, and we started those conversations in Dungog as well, but it was Paterson's turn this week with rural aid and Peter Kenyon from the Bank of Ideas. So I'm really excited to see what comes with that, but a key theme throughout was intergenerational connectivity, but also resilience of our community. So watch this space, or watch that space because it's community driven and I think that's the most powerful thing about all of these Community Builders workshops and sessions and plans that come out is that they are driven by the community and they're things that the community want to see happen and are going to make happen, and in whatever way I can enable that, and I know that sentiment is shared through with the Mayor and other Councillors, will certainly jump on board and help when we can.
So that's it for this week, thank you for listening to me ramble on for the last little while but have a great Easter, stay safe on the roads, and we'll also pop in the comments the opening hours for Council. I know we've got Easter long weekend and then we've got Anzac Day long weekend, so there's a few public holidays in amongst all of that but we'll put in the comments when Council will be open and when it'll be closed and out of contact after hours and things like that if needed. So have a great weekend and happy Easter. Thank you, bye.
