Tag: General

Media Release: Lighting the way to a greener future

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Maroondah residents are being asked to sign an online campaign, Give Our Streets the Green Light, to lobby the government to fund a changeover to energy-efficient street lighting.

Council has joined the Municipal Association of Victoria and other Victorian councils to lobby the state and commonwealth governments to fund the changeover to new energy-efficient globes.

In Maroondah the upfront costs of replacing more than 5500 mercury vapour globes currently lighting Maroondah’s streets is about $2million.

Maroondah Mayor Councillor Alex Makin said the goal was to reduce Council’s greenhouse gas emissions and create a greener more energy-efficient future.

“By changing all local road street lights from the mercury vapour 80W lamps to a more energy efficient lighting it would not only benefit the environment but it would save on electricity costs.

“Council estimates that 36 per cent of its green house gas emissions and 39 per cent of its electricity costs are generated by street lighting,” Cr Makin said.

“Electricity is predominately generated by burning brown coal which results in significant green house gases,” Cr Makin said.

“By making the change we can reduce our carbon footprint and work towards mitigating the effects of climate change,” Cr Makin said.

“The sooner the change over, the sooner we start making a difference,” Cr Makin said.

Maroondah Council has been a strong advocate for the campaign, moving a motion at the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly in June calling on the campaign to be adopted as an issue of national significance.

The Give Our Streets the Green Light campaign, organised by the Municipal Association of Victoria, aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 78,000 tonne over the life of the lights. That equates to about 31.2 billion black balloons or 341,917 cars off the road for a year.

Residents can pledge their support by signing an online submission www.greenlightourstreets.org.au or by sending a letter to their local Member of Parliament.

Launch of the Redevelopment of Glen Park Community Centre

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Glen Park Community Centre is located in Glen Park Road in Bayswater North and has strong emphasis on community development, as well as providing courses for the local community. The Community Centre was recently redeveloped, through a partnership between Glen Park and SCOPE, to provide an accessible facility that can provide an inclusive environment for all people within our community.

Alex with the Arrabri Ward Councillors; Tony Dib, Paul Macdonald and Natalie Thomas along with Shaune Leane, MLC and Mike Symon, Member for Deakin, at the re-opening of the Glen Park Community Centre
Alex with the Arrabri Ward Councillors; Tony Dib, Paul Macdonald and Natalie Thomas along with Shaune Leane, MLC and Mike Symon, Member for Deakin, at the re-opening of the Glen Park Community Centre

This morning Glen Park Community Centre Council held a Picnic in the Park to celebrate the redevelopment of Glen Park Community Centre, as well with other recent improvements, including the redeveloped Sports Pavilion and the new Men’s Shed. Further improvements, such as a new play space will be completed later this year.

In addition, I was invited to launch the redeveloped Glen Park Community Centre and the speech I delivered is included in this post:
Continue reading “Launch of the Redevelopment of Glen Park Community Centre”

Delegates’ Report: Annual general meetings, art exhibitions and launching Maroondah’s Community Wellbeing Plan

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There are several items I’d like to discuss this evening:

On the 23rd of March I attended the North Ringwood Community House annual general meeting, which coincided with the graduation ceremony of their Certificate III and IV students.

North Ringwood Community House is the only community house in Maroondah that has Registered Training Organisation status, meaning that they are able to offer Certificate level courses. As part of the AGM the House discussed its new business plan and it is great to see that they are planning on expanding their accredited courses into the future.

On the 29th of March I attended the first meeting of the Maroondah Partners for Community Wellbeing Committee along with Cr Ann Fraser. This committee is tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of Council’s Community Wellbeing Plan and incorporates a number of different agencies, including Eastern Volunteers, Eastern Access Community Health, the Primary Care Partnerships and others.

So what is Council’s Community Wellbeing Plan, it’ll be discussed later in this report.

On the 13th of April, I attended a community meeting hosted by Common Equity Housing Limited (CEHL), the managers of the 80 unit affordable housing development in Larissa Avenue. While Council and the community were understandably concerned about the State Government overriding Maroondah Council as a planning authority, it is encouraging to see the CEHL holding discussions with the community to help explain and demystify this development.

On the 15th of April I had the pleasure of opening two exhibitions, Konrad Winkler’s Moments of My Life and the Ringwood Art Society’s Artist of the Year. Konrad’s work highlights the changing nature of photography and the Art Society’s exhibition showcases the talents of one of Victoria’s oldest and largest arts societies.
The Artist of the Year was judged by an independent adjudicator but the community also has the possibility of providing input, through the Community Choice Award.

As part of the proceedings I had the privilege of announcing that Council will be utilising the Mayoral Art Fund to acquire one of the artworks that was exhibited by a member of the Ringwood Arts Society and I look forward to formalising this announcement once it is finalised.

The two exhibitions are hosted at Maroondah Art Gallery at the Maroondah Federation Estate and are on display until the 8th of May.

On Sunday the 18th of April I attended the Anzac March in Croydon hosted by the Croydon RSL. I would like to commend the Croydon RSL for holding such a welcoming and friendly event, it was great to see them involve the wider community, including local Primary and Secondary Schools and I believe it reinforces the community atmosphere that is so prevalent at the Croydon RSL.

This morning I had the pleasure of launching Maroondah City Council’s Community Wellbeing Plan. The plan, which was adopted by Council in December in last year, identifies the key wellbeing priorities over the next four years, including:

  • Healthy Minds Healthy Choices
  • Engaged Resilient Communities
  • Accessible Safe Community
  • Lifestyle Opportunities and Choices
  • Targeting Equity and Social Inclusion
  • Healthy Sustainable Environments

The plan was developed through the former Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee of which Cr. Nora Lamont, Cr. Rob Steane and myself were members.

In addition, Council undertook extensive community engagement in the development of its Community Wellbeing Plan including a survey in the Maroondah Focus, where we received over 1000 responses.

This was a tremendous result given that there are 44,000 households within the municipality. These responses provided quantitative information and Council also undertook extensive consultation with community organisations and discussion sessions at locations such as Eastland.

The end result is a plan that was developed in partnership with the community and which will be overseen by the Maroondah Partners in Community Wellbeing Committee, which includes community organisations, Council staff, as well as two Councillors, Cr. Ann Fraser and myself.

I would like to commend the many people who were involved in the development of the plan. The implementation of the Community Wellbeing Plan depends on community partnerships and I look forward to this collaboration as we improve the health, safety and wellbeing of our municipality.

Eastern Volunteers 2009 AGM

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Eastern Volunteers is a not-for-profit community organisation that provides volunteer referral services and transport for people with disabilities and the frail-aged within Maroondah, Whitehorse and parts of the Yarra Ranges.

This morning the organisation held its annual general meeting to elect board members for the next twelve months.  I have been re-elected to the Eastern Volunteers Board and Management and will continue to Chair the organisation’s event working groups.

The guest speaker was Phil Turner, the Director of Major Projects and City Development, who discussed the Ringwood Central Activity District and the Council’s vision for Ringwood. This vision will only be successful if it incorporates community facilities for the centre of Ringwood.

Eastern Volunteers is continuing with its goal of purchasing its own premises to facilitate its continued growth and provide a hub for other community organisations.  While this is a longer-term vision Eastern Volunteers has already begun to raise funding for its vital project.

For further information on Eastern Volunteers please visit www.easternvolunteers.org.au.

Ringwood Bowls Club 2009 AGM

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This evening the Ringwood Bowls Club, located in Loughnan Road Ringwood, held its Annual General Meeting to elect its committee for the following year.

The Club, which was founded in 1928 has had a long association with Ringwood. In recent years the Club developed a strong emphasis on sustainability and has invested in water tanks and a reclamation facility to reduce its water consumption.

The Club is now planning to examine its two grass greens with plans to potentially convert them to other grass types to further reduce their water usage.

The club is complementing its environmental sustainability focus with community initiatives to increase participation in lawn bowls.

The Ringwood Bowls Club will be launching a Friday social bowls program and is working with other organisations, such as Eastern Volunteers, to encourage volunteer participation.

With an ongoing emphasis on environmental and social sustainability the Ringwood Bowls Club will continue to have a successful future and I congratulate the board and its members for their vision and dedication.

For further information on the Ringwood Bowls Club please visit www.ringwoodbowls.asn.au.

Maroondah Journal: campaign for cameras

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The Maroondah Journal has reported on the continued efforts by local business people, police and State MPs to secure the installation of live-feed security cameras at Ringwood Station.

The installation of of closed-circuit live-feed security cameras would help prevent anti-social behaviour at Ringwood Station and have proved to be successful at both Lilydale and Croydon Stations.

Mullum Ward councillor Alex Makin said that while the cameras were important, the development of the station was crucial. “Access needs to be improved and the general look of the station needs an overhaul.

“The cameras would be a big part of that as they would help improve safety for the community.”

While the installation of security cameras are extremely important for Ringwood Station they should not neglect the need for the redevelopment of the station into a safe, accessible and easy to use transport interchange.

Delegates' Report: Community Houses, water conservation and upcoming conferences

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On the 24th of March I attended the Ringwood Precinct Open House, which provided an opportunity for residents living within the Ringwood Central Activities District and namely the residential area to the west of Ringwood to actively engage council and discuss any concerns they may have.

It was great to see a strong interest from the community and discussion with council around areas such as Eastland, Ringwood Station, open space and traffic. I would like to thank the many staff across all areas of council who engaged the community and took the time to hear and provide feedback.

There were three annual general meetings that I attended over the past month, including the North Ringwood Community House on the 24th of March. North Ringwood Community House is the only community house in Maroondah which is a registered training organisation and as a result they provide TAFE accredited Certificate III and IV training courses, in areas such as Aged Care, Palliative Care and Disability Services.

As I’ve reported previously, the priority for the house is to find a new location which will improve its accessibility and provide additional rooms to cater for increasing enrolments. The house recently submitted its grant application for feasibility study funding through the Department of Planning and Community Development.

The following day on the 25th of March I attended the annual general meeting for Central Ringwood Community House based in Bedford Park in Ringwood. Central Ringwood Community House provides an emphasis on computer training courses, as well as educational services to migrant communities and many other areas of interest for our community. The house is continuing to experience ongoing growth and has plans to improve accessibility and provide additional classroom facilities.

The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau AGM was held on the 1st of April and provided an opportunity for its membership to meet their new office manager and report on the ongoing growth in their emergency food relief. The guest speaker for the meeting was from the Primary Care Partnerships who spoke about food security and the difficulties some households are experiencing in purchasing fresh and nutritious food.

On the 4th of April I attended the launch of the Ringwood Bowls Club Water Reclamation Facility. The project provides three water tanks and a water retention system collecting water from the roof, adjacent roadways, the car park and their greens resulting in a capacity of 280,000 litres. It is estimated that the facility will conserve 1.5 million litres providing significant water savings. This project was the culmination of cooperation between all levels of government, Federal, State and Local, which included a grant from Council’s Water Sustainability Fund.

Lastly, Eastern Volunteers have organised a conference for the 13th and 14th of May exploring volunteer, social inclusion and community wellbeing. For details, including registration and the conference program, please visit their website at www.easternvolunteers.org.au.

Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau 41st AGM

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The Maroondah Citizens Bureau is a non-profit community based organisation that aims to provide a range of support services and referrals for people in need, in order to enable them to be independent and effective members of the community.

Today’s annual general meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the changes within the organisation, including the appointment of a new office manager and an emphasis on improving governance through the development of new policies and procedures. These efforts will ensure that the organisation can continue to provide its services to people in need and make it easier to recruit and retain volunteers.

The guest speaker was from the Outer East Primary Care Partnerships, a network of health providers, who spoke about food security within Melbourne’s outer east. Food security examines the ability of a community to be able to afford nutritious food, as well as the proximity and location of fresh food. Over ninety percent of clients who access the Citizens Advice Bureau requested food relief, demonstrating that affordability of food is increasingly becoming an issue within Maroondah.

Given that little food is grown locally within the outer east, rising transportation costs are of a particular concern and the presentation did explore the potential for more locally produced food within the region.

The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau exists to serve people in need and is acutely aware of the growing financial pressures on Maroondah residents and households.

Tour of Maroondah’s Community Facilities – Ringwood

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The council tour of community facilities continued this evening to include several community and leisure facilities located within Ringwood.

The first destination was the Karralyka Centre, which is Maroondah’s home to theatre and the performing arts. The Karralyka Centre also serves as a performance space to local groups and schools and also provides function rooms for events.

While the location of Karralyka is not ideal, it is accessible through bus route 670 along Maroondah Highway and hopefully the State Government will introduce a new direct service from along Mount Dandenong Road as part of the bus service reviews.

The tour continued through to Central Ringwood Community House, which is located in Bedford Road, Ringwood in close proximity to Ringwood Station. Central Ringwood Community House is part of Bedford Park and manages the community hall that is located on the site.

Central Ringwood Community House. includes a number of classrooms and permanent computer training facilities. The Community House is the recipient of the Federal Government’s Better Regions Program which will be utilised to improve accessibility and provide new classrooms.

Federation Estate was the next destination and is located along Greenwood Avenue near Jubilee Park and Ringwood’s main sporting precinct. Federation Estate includes the Maroondah Art Gallery, which features several prominent exhibitions, including local artists. The arts are further reinforced through an artist in residency program where artists are able to complete their artwork within Federation Estate.

The facility also includes several meeting rooms available to community groups and the Amazing Space playground, which is a fully accessible playground focusing on the senses and imagination. Amazing Space is a unique sensory focused playground and has received a number of awards and positive reviews.

The Maroondah Indoor Sports Stadium, was the next destination and is located along Canterbury Road. The facility provides four basketball courts and recently introduced martial arts lessons. The stadium is extremely well utilised by a number of basketball and netball clubs.

Ringwood Golf Course, is next door to the Maroondah Indoor Sports Stadium and is an eighteen hole public golf course. The golf course includes a cafe, which caters to both golf patrons and external functions with views overlooking the course. Ringwood Golf Course offers coaching and golf lessons, as well as a golf shop which stocks a wide range of golfing equipment.

After the golf course the tour continued through to the Jubilee Park Ringwood Soccer Pavilion. Council has applied for federal funding to redevelop the soccer pavilion and to provide facilities for the MVC Boxing Club. Should this grant be approved it will provide premiere soccer facilities within Maroondah, as well as introduce new sports within the Jubilee Park sporting precinct.

Ringwood Aquatic Centre was the last destination of the tour. The Aquatic Centre provides a 50 metre indoor pool, as well as a hydrotherapy pool and general purpose swimming facilities. The floor of the aquatic centre is currently being re-tiled and funding was successful to introduce a co-generation plant to reduce the facility’s energy consumption.

While Ringwood is fortunate to include several prominent sporting and cultural facilities that are only a short five or ten minute walk from the centre of Ringwood, improvements to wayfinding and signage would assist in re-connecting these facilities.

Central Ringwood Community Centre2009 AGM

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Central Ringwood Community Centre is located within Bedford Park in Ringwood and provides a range of educational courses, as well as workshops for newly arrived migrants and meeting rooms for a variety of community groups.

Due to the new ward boundaries, I am fortunate to have two community houses within the Mullum Ward, Central Ringwood Community Centre and North Ringwood Community House.

The houses cater to different needs within the community while also working in partnership to deliver joint courses. Central Ringwood Community Centre, with its location in Bedford Road has worked closely with newly arrived migrants, including the Sudanese and Burmese communities, as well as providing a number of computer courses and several social groups.

Today’s annual general meeting confirmed the committee of management for the upcoming year and provided an update on the House’s successful application to the Federal Government’s Better Regions Program. This funding will improve the accessibility of the house and create new classrooms to further expand its services.

The Federal Government should be congratulated for recognising the importance of community houses and the services they provide.

Community Houses provide a critical service within a community through encouraging social inclusion and delivering new skills and educational opportunities.

I look forward to working closely with Central Ringwood Community Centre as it continues to serve the Ringwood community.

For further information on Central Ringwood Community Centre please visit www.crccinc.org.au.