The pace has certainly picked up at council this month after our first scheduled Council Meeting for the year. It was wonderful to start the year reviewing the quarterly Council Action Plan update and consider what is on the cards for the year ahead. The Council Plan from the get-go was an ambitious one, so it is understandable that some of what we had hoped to achieve by now is not quite at its expected milestone point but by and large, we are on track. The Coronavirus pandemic has been a major disruptor for some of our capital works projects too, especially inhibiting site access for contractors during lockdowns. It has also regrettably stalled many of our planned face to face community engagement sessions.
Fortunately, what lies ahead for us is looking a lot more achievable since the State Government's latest announcement of a further easing of restrictions, particularly with regards to density levels for indoor gatherings. This will give our local businesses, particularly the hospitality industry, a tremendous boost and I am sure we are all looking forward to more opportunities to eat out and be entertained in an almost "CovidNormal" setting. On that note, business owners, please do not hesitate to contact the Economic Development Team for support or advice and subscribe to the e-news from the Business Connections page to keep in the loop for a whole host of opportunities to help your business grow.
The new lighter restrictions mean we can now organise a lot more planned in-person engagement without density limits too. For example, you might like to come along to the following events listed in our Have Your Say section on our website:
- Drop-in sessions with our Community Development Team in Stawell and St Arnaud to discuss applications for our second round of Community and Arts and Culture Grants and to learn more about the online community directory.
- St Arnaud Structure Plan Information Night where you can hear from the consultants about the process and share your views on what land use decisions will help shape the future of our town.
Also on the Have Your Say Page, are some quick and easy surveys that I encourage you to complete; it will really help us gauge community sentiment on diverse items such as the Local Law review and the North Park off-leash dog park survey.
Stawell community members may be interested to learn that the developer for the Sloane Street housing development is holding a community forum on Tuesday 22 February from 5pm at the Stawell Club, 113-117 Main Street for all interested parties. This is no longer a council-led project but I know there are community members who are curious to know how it is progressing.
Next month, we will be trialling some live stream equipment that will allow you to watch our in-person council meetings from the comfort of your home or workplace. This is all very new for our staff so please be patient as they learn how to operate and master it.
I will sign off for now and look forward to seeing you out and about at all the planned community events in a much freer setting.
