A ON ALBURY NOVEMBER13 INSIDE ACCENT... Kicking goals in South Albury page 3 Wagga Road set for $600,000 upgrade page 5 New pool inspection program rolls out for summer page 6 Catch Harry Kewell in action when he captains Melbourne Heart at the Lavington Sports Ground on Sunday 9 February Harry headed for Lavington Accent to move Football superstar Harry Kewell will play at the Lavington Sports Ground when Melbourne Heart meet Perth Glory for Round 18 of the Hyundai A-League. Tickets for the football blockbuster are now on sale and fans are urged to get in quick to avoid missing out. It promises to be Albury s most epic sporting encounter as the first elite football code to compete for premiership points in the city. This is the city s biggest ever sporting fixture, Mayor Cr Kevin Mack said. We have hosted trial games and practice matches in various codes, but this is the real deal. It s also a great opportunity to see Harry Kewell play in our own backyard. He s one of our greatest ever footballers and local fans can see him in action right here in Lavington. It s a huge event for the region. We re expecting soccer fans from both sides of the border and right around the region to attend this match. There is also going to be a large contingent of Heart fans arriving from Melbourne. It will be a fantastic atmosphere and we d love to see a huge turn out from our football community. News that Melbourne Heart will host a home game in Albury comes after Council s close work with Australia s major football codes to attract events and funding to the region. Read more on page 2. Match Details Hyundai A-League 2013-14 Season Sunday 9 February 2014, 3pm Melbourne Heart FC vs Perth Glory FC Lavington Sports Ground Buy your tickets from Ticketek: www.ticketek.com.au or in person at the Albury Entertainment Centre, Swift Street, Albury. Prices Junior (4-14yrs) $6.00 Concession $17.00 Adult $25.00 Family (Admits 4) $60.00 online AlburyCity has developed a new fortnightly e-newsletter. It delivers the most up-todate information, events and essential information from Council direct to your inbox. To subscribe online, visit alburycity.nsw.gov.au and search for Keep Up with AlburyCity. The move follows a recent communications survey in which 83% of respondents said they would like to receive email updates from AlburyCity. Would you still like to receive Accent on Albury in hard copy? AlburyCity is reviewing its quarterly hard copy edition of Accent and is consulting the community. To have your say on the future of Accent on Albury, visit alburycity.nsw.gov.au/haveasay
Doing a Deanie MAYOR S MESSAGE Kevin Mack It s a huge honour to be elected Mayor of this great city. This is my first term as Mayor and I m very excited about the opportunities ahead. Over the next 12 months I ll be working with my Council colleagues and staff at AlburyCity to make sure our residents have access to the best possible services and facilities. We ve got a strong Council and a well led organisation and I m confident we will achieve some great things for the city. Firstly, we re all really looking forward to the Art Gallery getting underway. It is a project that will be a great attraction for Albury. I ll also be continuing our major focus on financial responsibility. This year we will reduce the deficit in our General Fund by $2.5M and will see a $329,000 surplus across all funds. We ve made some terrific progress over the past 12 months and I d like to see that continue. My commitment to young people in our community is unwavering and we as Councillors are committed to exploring the provision of a new Youth Space to replace the existing Retro Youth Cafe. I am an avid supporter of our Youth Council and I will seek their guidance when appropriate. Together, we re committed to meeting the needs of this community and I look forward to playing my role with my Council colleagues towards delivering the best for all residents of Albury. page 2 Doing a Deanie is an audio and visual exhibition celebrating our much loved main street Dean Street is the heart of Albury s CBD and the home of festivals, celebrations and parades that bring the community together. Our iconic street is being celebrated in a new way with an exhibition now underway at the Albury LibraryMuseum. Over the years many artists have been attracted to the street s history and beauty. Doing a Deanie showcases representations of Dean Street from the AlburyCity Collection, including works by renowned photographer Max Dupain, stunning street panoramas and views from Monument Hill. Doing a Deanie continues at the LibraryMuseum until 8 December. Harry headed for Lavington Continued from page 1. AlburyCity is courting Australia s four major football codes in a bid to secure funding for each sport s growth and attract major events to Albury. Council has started discussions with the AFL, NRL, Rugby Union and A-League to highlight the opportunities for investment in one of Australia s largest sporting corridors. Planning for the growth of each sport, establishing partnerships to invest in sporting facilities and attracting major events are the key focuses of these discussions. The work has already paid dividends. In addition to the Melbourne Heart match, Super Rugby club, Melbourne Rebels will face NSW Waratahs in a trial match at Albury Football Ground on February 1. The ability to attract major events to the area is a key focus, but it s not our sole motivation. We d like to see sporting facilities developed in the long term and we think there are significant opportunities to partner with each code s governing body. If we can establish funding partnerships it will help support the growth of each sport in the region, said Cr Mack.
accentbriefs A Twilight Markets On the second Thursday of each month from October until March, QEII Square is transformed into a bustling marketplace. Stallholders display gourmet foods, arts, crafts, clothing, flowers and plants. Meanwhile live music provides a perfect backdrop to a relaxing dinner on the lawn. Twilight Markets are held on the second Thursday of every daylight saving month from 5pm to 8pm. South Albury s changing face Each Saturday morning during footy season, 350 kids strap on their boots, run out onto Waites Park and play footy like they re the next Gary Ablett or Lance Franklin. The Waites Park Auskick program is just one beneficiary of the South Albury Strategy, adopted in 2004, which has delivered new changerooms for the club. Under the strategy, AlburyCity has delivered a raft of changes to help the area better meet the needs of a growing community. AlburyCity Director of Community and Recreation James Jenkins says the South Albury Strategy has been a major success. Open space has been a priority of the project, he says. In addition to the new Waites Park facilities, we ve also delivered the Oddies Creek Playground and the Wagirra Project, including riverside walking trails and bike paths. Traffic-calming measures have also been completed at the Macauley and Hume Street intersection, while roundabouts have been constructed at the intersections of Hovell and Townsend Streets and Atkins, Kiewa and Olive Streets. Other highlights include: Completion of a city-wide heritage study that identified significant heritage items in South Albury and protected them under the Albury Local Environment Plan New changerooms at Waites Park are helping local Auskickers play like their heroes Significant road and footpath upgrades throughout the suburb Flood mitigation works across South Albury Household battery recycling Did you know that household batteries are the most common form of hazardous waste disposed of by Australian households, with 97% of batteries ending up in landfill? A new initiative from AlburyCity allows residents to dispose of their household batteries in an environmentally friendly way. Six new battery reycling bins have been placed around Albury allowing residents to safely dispose of their old household (dry-cell) batteries. The bin locations are: AlburyCity customer service area LibraryMuseum Lavington Library Mirambeena Community Centre Thurgoona Community Centre Albury Waste Management Centre. For more information on battery recycling visit alburycity.nsw.gov.au/batteryrecycling www.alburycity.nsw.gov.au A new cookbook by local resident Melanie Ruth celebrates the diversity of our region and captures the tastes that make Albury truly unique. Melanie received funding from AlburyCity s Community and Cultural program to undertake the project, which involved compiling recipes from various multicultural groups in Albury. Who s hungry? Titled Hungry, the book features recipes from countries including Sudan, Bhutan, Russia and Mexico. Albury s Indigenous Wiradjuri people have also contributed to the book, which celebrates something that brings us all together: food. Hungry is available from the Albury LibraryMuseum and Lavington Library. Cost: $5.
accentbriefs A Reviving an Aboriginal custom Christmas Memorial at Glenmorus Albury residents are invited to a Christmas service on Wednesday 11 December to remember those we ve loved and lost. The relaxed outdoor service will be held at Glenmorus Memorial Gardens, Union Road, Lavington from 7pm. It will include words of comfort, poems, carols and an opportunity to place a personalised ornament (supplied by Glenmorus) on a tree of remembrance. All are welcome. Light refreshments will be served afterwards. Carols by Candlelight Wednesday 18 December Albury s Aboriginal elders have worked with AlburyCity s all-aboriginal Wagirra work crew to construct a traditional bark canoe at Horseshoe Lagoon. Bark was stripped from the tree s trunk, soaked in water and then smoked over fire, before being shaped into a traditional Aboriginal bark canoe. The canoe is displayed at the Wonga Wetlands Centre as a feature piece in Aboriginal education for the whole community. Canoe making was common among the Aboriginal community before European settlement. There has been an Australiawide push to maintain the knowledge. Wagirra Project Team Leader Cassandra Storm said the project will help traditional skills to be passed on to future generations. This is a significant cultural event for the Aboriginal community and an exciting opportunity for the Wagirra team. Traditional cultural practices are at risk of being lost if not passed down to future generations. This is a great project and the Wagirra team is very excited to be involved. The project has been funded by the Murray Catchment Management Authority, which has contributed $30,000, with support from Albury s Wiradjuri community, AlburyCity and the North East Catchment Management Authority. Economy goes digital Aboriginal elders teamed up with AlburyCity s Wagirra crew to construct a traditional bark canoe along the banks of the Murray River Albury s Christmas carols return next month in a festive spectacular at QEII Square. It will be anything but a Silent Night as carollers from across the community come together to share the Christmas spirit at Albury s most loved annual event. Under the musical direction of Paul Gibbs, who returns for his tenth Carols, residents will join a brilliant line-up of local talent and enjoy a set list of festive favourites. The 2013 Carols by Candlelight will be held on Wednesday 18 December in QEII Square, Albury from 6pm. page 4 AlburyCity is working with City of Wodonga to prepare the community for an increasingly digital economy. A draft strategy currently on public exhibition outlines a range of initiatives to help residents and businesses make the most of the digital world. The availability of high-speed broadband presents Albury Wodonga s retail, manufacturing and industrial sectors with new ways to do business. For most Australians, staying connected to the internet has become a part of everyday life. Surveys show that 94% of us have internet access and 79% are online everyday. If we can achieve the objectives outlined in the Digital Economy Strategy, preliminary figures suggest that we can increase our local economies by as much as $571M per year. That represents a 20% increase AlburyCity s Director of Tourism and Economic Development Tracey Squire and City of Wodonga s Manager of Economic Development Matt Taylor are looking to the future of the border cities with the Digital Economy Strategy in gross value to the border economy, says AlburyCity's Director of Economic Development and Tourism, Tracey Squire. You can find a copy of the Draft Digital Economy Strategy on the AlburyCity website.
accentbriefs A Wagga Road set for upgrade Art Gallery redevelopment tenders due AlburyCity has shortlisted five companies to tender for the Albury Regional Art Gallery redevelopment. An initial expression of interest period brought 14 submissions, of which Council has selected its five preferred candidates. The shortlist includes locally based companies Zauner Construction, Hansen and Yuncken and Joss Construction. Sydney-based firm Contract Control and Canberra firm Manteena are also in contention. Each company will now be required to formally tender for the project. The successful company will be selected based on cost and its overall works program. Construction is due to get underway in early 2014. The official opening of the redeveloped gallery is scheduled for mid-2015. Free Mulch For a small loading fee the Albury Waste Management Centre now offers free stump mulch to Albury residents. The mulch is pure stump mulch which is a cleaner mulch product when compared with other commercially available mulches. The mulch is free however a small loading fee applies, as follows: Trailer = $10.00 Small Truck = $15.00 Large Truck = $20.00 This is an appointment only service and anyone interested in free mulch is required to contact the Albury Waste Management Centre on 6043 5860 to pre-book. An artists concept of a revamped Wagga Road, which will soon receive a $600,000 upgrade Council has begun costings and designs for the $600,000 upgrade to Wagga Road. The work comes after 83% of respondents to a recent consultation process indicated that the Wagga Road upgrade was a higher priority than a planned upgrade to Griffith Road. Council sought public input on the priorities for Lavington after being approached by the Albury Northside Chamber of Commerce and some residents, who said the revitalisation of Wagga Road had become a higher priority for the local community. Beautification of Griffith Road was planned for 2012 13 as part of the Lavington CBD Master Plan. However the Chamber asked to have the $600,000 funding for Griffith Road allocated to Wagga Road instead to address a downturn in economic conditions, lack of aesthetic appeal of the Wagga Road streetscape and lack of identity of the Lavington CBD. Have you visited our new website? AlburyCity has launched its new website. With a responsive design offering greater functionality, accessibility and a more intuitive visitor experience the website makes it easy to get what you need, whether you re using a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone. Jump online and try these fantastic new features: Have a Say Stay engaged and participate in the Council decision-making process with our revamped Have a Say section. This is a one-stop shop for public comment on the full range of policies, plans and documents that are open for community consultation. What s On Never miss a beat with the new, centralised AlburyCity events calendar. Featuring the best of what we re offering around our city, What s On allows you to filter Council events by location, date and category. Search Get the information you need in seconds with our new search function. It s our most effective search engine yet, saving you time and making Council information more accessible than ever before. Ask our experts A great new feature that with a click of the button, gives you the answers to the questions we get asked most by the public. Covering everything you need to know about key Council services, including pet registration, waste and rates 'Ask Our Experts' is where we can answer your questions in one place. Jump online and explore now at alburycity.nsw.gov.au. www.alburycity.nsw.gov.au
Kiewa Street pedestrian crossing upgrade Floodplain Risk Management Study Parts of the Albury Local Government Area are prone to flood-related issues ranging from overflowing drains to inundation from the Murray River. To manage the associated risks and impacts, consultants WMAwater are completing a Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan for the area. This will include: - reviewing current flood studies and Council s environmental planning policies, instruments and local flood plan - identifying measures to reduce the impacts of flooding and the risks to people and property - reviewing the capacity and quality of the drainage system. Get involved Community involvement is important at all stages of the floodplain management process. To find out more, residents are invited to a drop in community information session on Thursday 5 December, 2.30pm in the Robert Brown Room at the AlburyCity Administration Building, 553 Kiewa Street, Albury. To have your say on the Floodplain Risk Management Study, visit alburycity.nsw.gov.au/haveasay. Pedestrian signals will be installed at the Kiewa Street pedestrian crossing in 2014 Pedestrians using one of Albury s busiest crossings will soon be putting their best foot forward, with upgrades to the Kiewa Street pedestrian crossing soon to get underway. AlburyCity has received $45,000 in funding from Roads and Maritime Services to install pedestrian-operated traffic signals at the pedestrian crossing between Dean and Smollett Streets. Council has matched the State Government funds with a further $45,000 to complete the project. The upgrade is certain to be welcomed by pedestrians and motorists alike, as the crossing is a well-known source of confusion. It s one of the last foot crossings in Albury where cars have right of way and is a constant source of headaches for motorists and pedestrians, says Chair of the AlburyCity Engineering and Works Committee, Cr Ross Jackson. Although there are signs, there is still a lot of confusion about who exactly has right of way. The raised threshold crossing was installed in 1992 along with five others in Dean Street. Although the Dean Street thresholds have since been replaced by pedestrian-friendly zebra crossings, the Kiewa Street one is still in place despite being used by more people per day than the five zebra crossings on Dean Street combined. With this funding we re going to address a long-running safety issue in the CBD, says Cr Jackson. We ve got a plan to make the CBD more pedestrian and cyclist friendly and this is going to be a key milestone. page 6 The Collins Street Retarding Basin in Lavington is just one tool AlburyCity uses to help mitigate the risk of flood in Albury Pool fence inspections underway AlburyCity is enforcing a new policy that will boost pool fence compliance and help save children s lives. Council s Swimming Pools Inspection Policy is now in action. It has been developed in response to new State Government legislation requiring all NSW councils to adopt a mandatory pool inspection program. Under the policy, Council will randomly inspect 20 pools per month to assess safety and fence compliance. This means that initially, each pool in Albury will be inspected once every six years. The state-wide push towards greater pool compliance is aimed at lowering the number of childhood drownings. On average, six children die every year in backyard swimming pools in NSW. A further 60 are admitted to hospital after a near-drowning. Of those, a quarter develop a hypoxic brain injury. To help cover the administrative costs of the inspection program, Council will need to impose a $150 inspection fee on pool owners. This fee applies to the first inspection performed. If a second inspection is required it will incur a further fee of $100. Pensioners will be offered a 50% rebate on the second fee. The fees are payable on inspection and are not annual fees. Find out more about pool safety and fencing regulations online at alburycity.nsw.gov.au/5cms.
Here s to 50 years The Albury Entertainment Centre celebrates 50 years in 2014, and to celebrate AlburyCity is presenting its best ever theatre season. The program will be officially launched in December and will feature 12 spectacular shows ranging between dance, theatre music and comedy. Coinciding with the launch of the new season is a new membership package offering theatre-goers a huge range of benefits. Members can enyoy: Discounted tickets to theatre season performances Pre-sale ticket purchases before they go on sale to public Complemtary drink at each performance 10% discount at the theatre bar Personalised booking code for online purchases VIP invitations to other cultural precinct events (i.e. Museum, exhibitions) Monthly member e-news updates, including special offers on new performances To become a member and for more information visit alburycity.nsw.gov.au/theatreseason Arrive home safely Local businesses planning to host Christmas parties are being offered $5 taxi vouchers simply for registering with AlburyCity s Arrive Home Safely program. AlburyCity s Road Safety Officer, Lauren Torocsik, says businesses are asked to contribute $2 for each taxi voucher their staff use. AlburyCity s grant funding will cover the extra $3. Participating businesses also have the opportunity to win vouchers and food and drink hampers by participating in a questionnaire. We provide an information sheet that outlines drink-drive issues, safe alternative transport options and safe party strategies, Lauren says. Workplaces need to be aware that they have responsibilities to staff, to keep them safe, and this campaign is one way of addressing staff safety. To register your Christmas party, go to alburycity.nsw.gov.au/arrivehome AlburyCity will halve the amount of commercial and industrial waste going to landfill with the construction of the new Northern Valley development at the Albury Waste Management Centre. Work on the Northern Valley gets underway next month. It will include new 100,000-tonne cells for non-putrescible wastes, which are commonly generated by the construction, demolition, commercial and industrial sectors. Talking rubbish Work is underway on the new Northern Valley at the Albury Waste Management Centre The new development will allow Council to process commercial and industrial waste more efficiently and recover up to 50% more material through recycling. Associated works will include cell construction and the construction of new roads around the AWMC, as well as improved surface water and leachate management. It s expected that the new infrastructure will be operating by mid-2014. www.alburycity.nsw.gov.au
Dates to remember Be water wise this summer The 2012 13 summer was one of the driest since the drought, with record low rainfall and consistently high temperatures. Not surprisingly, Albury s lawns and gardens felt the heat and conscientious gardeners tried to keep their plants alive. This led to a sharp increase in the amount of water being used by Albury households the average residential dwelling used 48% more water in 2012-13 compared to the same time in 2011-12. With the warm weather just around the corner, here are some tips to help you save water around the garden this summer: Use mulch on your garden to hold in moisture. Water your garden in the cool of the morning or late evening, when your plants can get maximum benefit from the water you give them. Use a broom to sweep your driveway and footpath instead of using the hose. Choose drought-resistant grasses. Your local nursery can offer advice on waterefficient varieties. Apply a wetting agent. This will encourage even water penetration, helping any water you apply to reach the root zone and not run off. Consider alternative water sources such as rainwater and greywater or different watering systems such as drip irrigation. Council is encouraging residents to be mindful of their water usage and remember that it will show up on their March water bill, which covers the summer period. Once a household uses more than the 225 kilolitre threshold in a financial year, water consumption charges increase from $1.07 per kilolitre to $2.06 per kilolitre. So if you don t want to pay a premium for water, try to keep your usage below 225 kilolitres. Council calls for stronger liquor laws AlburyCity has called on the State Government to introduce stronger measures to reduce the harm of alcohol abuse and consumption in NSW communities. Council outlined four key points in a recent submission to the review of the Liquor Act 2007. Heading the list was a mandatory requirement for all licensed premises to become members of local Liquor Accords. The aim of a Liquor Accord is to implement strategies that reduce the negative impacts of alcohol consumption and abuse. Currently Liquor Accord membership is voluntary, but Mayor Cr Kevin Mack says all premises that supply alcohol should be required to help reduce its impact in the community. Premises that supply alcohol in some way need to contribute to mitigating the impact it can have on communities, he says. We want very clear guidelines from the State Government about what it expects from councils across NSW in regard to enforcing liquor consumption and distribution laws. Council would also like to see clearer and more up-to-date reports for each NSW city outlining density of venues, transport and crime statistics. These figures should play Monday 25 November Council Meeting Monday 2 December Community Forum / Workshop Monday 9 December Planning and Development Committee Engineering and Works Committee Community and Cultural Committee Finance and Administration Committee Monday 16 December Council Meeting Lauren Jackson Sports Centre Dates Twin Cities Senior Basketball Carnival 16 17 November Great Murray River Basketball Jamboree 30 November 3 December WNBL Canberra Capitals v Sydney Uni Flames 30 November at 7pm Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup 13 18 January a key role in the way the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing determines liquor license applications. Also included in the submission was a call for governing bodies to better implement the harmminimisation strategies proposed by experts in the field. These should specifically target promotion and advertising, pricing, licensing and the responsible serving of alcohol. on Albury is produced by AlburyCity for the information of residents and ratepayers. A COUNCILLOR CONTACTS Kevin Mack Mayor kmack@alburycity.nsw.gov.au Henk van de Ven Deputy Mayor hvandeven@alburycity.nsw.gov.au Alice Glachan aglachan@alburycity.nsw.gov.au Daryl Betteridge dbetteridge@alburycity.nsw.gov.au Patricia Gould, OAM pgould@alburycity.nsw.gov.au Darren Cameron dcameron@alburycity.nsw.gov.au Graham Docksey, OAM gdocksey@alburycity.nsw.gov.au Ross Jackson rjackson@alburycity.nsw.gov.au David Thurley dthurley@alburycity.nsw.gov.au CONTACT US PO Box 323 Albury NSW 2640 E info@alburycity.nsw.gov.au W www.alburycity.nsw.gov.au T 02 6023 8111 AFTER HOURS T 1300 133 391 CONNECT WITH US twitter.com/alburycity ON ALBURY