Hello, Dungog! Well, it's been a very busy and extremely productive one for Dungog Shire.
We've made real progress across infrastructure, planning and community facilities, and we've also had really good engagement with community and community participation, which has shown in record community feedback and input into plans and policies.
And this has really been a major focus of this council is to get people more involved and also to open up Council more with you. And so I thought it was only fitting for the last video of the year to do a little recap of the major progresses. I mean, there's a lot of progress, but I'll just try to keep it to the major ones.
So kick it off with the Dungog Shire Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan. So this is one of the most important pieces of work that's probably been ever undertaken at this Shire. It will shape housing growth, infrastructure investment, community outcomes for generations to come. It is actually still on public exhibition, so it closes 5pm this Sunday. So if you do plan to provide your feedback on this report, please do so for the closing date. So mammoth effort to get to this stage. It was funded by a $1.8 million grant as a large collection of plans. There is a lot to get through there,
Clarence Town Bridge. So if you're like me, and you drive across this every day, you'll be fully aware of the progress. But the project continues to be delivered on time and on budget, and this will probably be the single most significant community asset that we have in the Shire. It's looking for completion in late 2026 and we're really pleased that we can deliver this jewel lane, plus the walkway structure that we have going on the side there so that people can get from one side of town to the next. As part of the Clarence Town bridge project, we're actually currently seeking community input into the Duke and Durham Street intersection. So that's the intersection on the Clarence Town side, just after that caravan park entrance there. And so we're looking for public to tell us what they think on four options that we have for that intersection, and that that feedback is on exhibition now, so make sure that if you did live in that area, you do drive there and you want to provide input on that, you jump online and do that.
Sticking to Clarence Town. The Clarence Town Master Plan was also done earlier this year, and that's a pretty good long term strategic plan for the town. And then we also had the Clarence Town flood study. And I have to say, it's not every day that you get a flood plan that you actually get to test when we have three or four major floods in that time. And I can say that this flood plan is definitely robust. It is extremely accurate to see the flooding actually matched a lot of the modeling that was in the plan. So I do have really high faith in that flood plan as well.
So this year, we were also successful in securing Betterment funding to commence the replacement of the Gresford Suspension Bridge, and while we work through some of the issues that have arisen, particularly on the approach roads, and that's due to the massive flooding, it has delayed things a little, but we're hoping this project will kick off in 2026.
And now we've also seen, and this is something that's probably not talked about a lot, but we've also seen a lot of positive changes in the Council leadership team. So welcome, Damian Morris who is the Director of Infrastructure and Assets. He has a lot of experience behind him and has hit the ground running, but he's actually doing a lot of work behind the scenes, and he's doing a lot of transformation within his assets team as well.
We also have a new Director of Planning and Environment commencing in the new year, and by the sounds of it, he's also quite a high achiever. So as councilors, we feel now we have a really strong and focused team on efficiency and getting the most for our assets and the benefit for the community. And you know, we work on a very limited budget and workforce, and this has been a major focus of this new Council, is getting the right people into Council to drive real progression. And you know, I don't know if you've heard the Mayor say this, but I have 1000 times, and he always says it's about getting the right people on the bus and driving that bus in the right direction.
Speaking of budget, DA wait times. Now, this was a significant issue, right? I think we were even in the bottom of the state for this now, we have made a lot of progression in this space over this year, not only are we not the bottom of the list anymore, but we're not even in the bottom 10 of the list anymore. So there's been a lot of work that gone into this space. There is still improvement to be made. I'm not saying that it's perfect yet, but we are definitely getting there.
So across the Shire, Council has invested significant time and resources, and you'll see this in continued work on our road networks, fixing potholes, resurfacing, improving drainages. Now these efforts were definitely hampered by the three major flood events that we have experienced this year, but we have forged ahead and we have seen improved drainage and functionality at sporting ovals like Clarence Town Reserve, Patterson Show Ground, we've seen big upgrades to updated public areas, so improved access to Frank Robinson Park down in Dungog. And if you haven't actually been there in a while, definitely go down and have a look. You've got river access with stairs going down the river. The new picnic tables, new barbecues, it's looking really good down there, as well as Lioness and Coronation parks.
We've welcomed over 100 toddlers to story time at the Library, and I have to say, the General Manager, Gareth, did do the last one of this year. Absolutely smashed it!
Upgrading facilities at Clarence Town and Dungog pools, and we've rolled out off leash dog areas across the Shire so that people can know where their dogs can play and exercise, and hopefully in a safe and secure area. This is just a temporary measure until we get the dog park up and running. Plans are in the works and being drawn up now for hopefully the first Dungog off leash fenced dog park.
So advocacy, this has also probably been the most significant object on our list this year. So we know we don't have anywhere near enough funding to fix and maintain the assets that we have. I mean, you only have to go out and look at the roads that we have across our Shire. So we've been talking to all levels of government. We've actually established an advocacy strategy plan to guide this strategy over the next few years, and we're starting to get real traction on this and a really hope next year, we finally see some movement in this space. We have seen some movement this year, even with the Hunter Joint Organisation, which is made up of all the Hunter councils, they've also heard our voice, and they're taking up their fight for better funding for us as well. So this is a huge step forward, and the Mayor has been absolutely instrumental in this. He's been very active in this space. Advocacy is what he is absolutely running with. And I think it's safe to say now that the word Dungog Shire is known to most government employees or ministers by now. So we're finally getting there with that.
And I guess I'll end it there. There's a lot to talk about, but I don't want to talk about for too long. I'd just like to end on just saying, Happy Christmas. Have a safe and happy holidays and relaxing season. I know Dungog is gearing up to be quite busy over the Christmas period, but if you travel, you make sure you drive safe. But have a good holiday. Thanks.
