David Robertson

Southern Grampians Shire Council Mayor

With the year drawing to a close, I wanted to take time to give residents an important update on some of the major projects we have ticking along behind the scenes at Council.

The Dunkeld Visitor Hub contract was awarded at Wednesday’s Council Meeting which is a significant step forward in seeing the works for this project completed by mid-2023.

This will include construction of the Hub at 84 - 88 Parker Street and a viewing podium at the corner of Adams and Sterling Streets.

This will allow visitors to enjoy local artwork, indigenous planting, native vegetation, and a canopy shelter, and is an important feature in building visitor experience services to our part of the Grampians.

The Penshurst Adaptive Wastewater Pilot Project has taken off over the last couple of months where we continue to work with Wannon Water and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority.

We have been successful in obtaining funding for a pilot project to test the adaptive wastewater concept in one of the 12 areas within Penshurst.

Funding awarded from DELWP under the Integrated Water Management program will enable the adaptive sewerage servicing concept to be trialled at a smaller, measurable and lower risk scale, prior to potentially rolling out across Penshurst.

The pilot will involve trialling the treatment of raw sewerage from 29 existing properties, with the treated recycled water to be used to irrigate public open space via a system below the ground.

Council staff and agencies involved have been communicating with residents and will continue to do so for the duration of the pilot.

We are looking forward to seeing this pilot progress as it has the potential to make a significant difference to the people of Penshurst.

Our outer townships will also see the benefit of some new outdoor furniture as part of outdoor activation within the Southern Grampians.

Works are being completed in Balmoral, Branxholme and Dunkeld for shelters and picnic tables, with Coleraine and Penshurst in the immediate pipeline for future activation, which will include seating in the main street of Coleraine.

Funding was received from Regional Development Victoria to help make outdoor spaces more usable across the Southern Grampians.

If you are travelling around our beautiful region over the festive break, make use of our recreation spaces and enjoy the scenery we have on offer.

The Cox Street Redevelopment Project will see movement once again early in January with works set to begin on roadside drainage which will put us in a good position to transition to pavement and road works once this is completed.

Drivers are encouraged to take care in the area while these works get underway and to obey any changes to road signage.

All heavy vehicles including trucks and buses are expected to be using the alternative heavy vehicle detour while these works continue as there will be impacts to the road and access during this time.

Reminder that there will be changes to operating hours to Council services across the festive season with a full list of facilities featured in the public notice in this edition of the Spectator and also on our Council website.

The afterhours message service will be in place so if you have any Council related emergencies, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Alternatively, staff will action non-urgent requests when services reopen in 2023.

Finally, I just wanted to say thank you to every member of our community who have contributed to the region, been in touch and provided Council feedback, and supported one another over the last 12 months.

We have had quite another busy year here at Council and have put into motion an impressive list of projects which we will pursue in the New Year.

I encourage you all to take some time over the festive season for a well-earned rest if you can and spend some time with someone you love.

To all those emergency responders, services or businesses that remain open, hoping you find some time to enjoy the festivities over the coming weeks.

Wishing all residents of the Southern Grampians a happy and safe Christmas and New Year.