Mayoral Column - Wednesday 20 January

VISIT FROM JOHN BARILARO AND BRONNIE TAYLOR

I spent last Friday with our local members John Barilaro and Bronnie Taylor visiting some of the recipients of recent funding programs.

First stop was the Cooma Festival Swimming Pool which will shortly receive a defibrillator thanks to a joint funding agreement between the NSW Government and Snowy Monaro Regional Council. It was great to see a number of children using the pool while we were there. The defibrillator will ensure a safe environment for all users to continue enjoying these facilities.

We then travelled to the Jindabyne boat ramp which has undergone a $1.3m upgrade. The recently opened amenities block was the final part of the project which has also provided improvements to the entry road, enhanced car and trailer parking, boat ramp and landscaping. This upgrade was made possible through funding from NSW Government, Snowy Hydro and Council. The heavy usage of the ramp and carpark over recent weeks shows this is a much-welcomed enhancement for both residents and visitors.

Our final stop was at the Snowy Mountains Community Centre in Jindabyne. I was delighted to hear John and Bronnie announce that facility upgrades will be provided under the NSW Government’s Community Building Partnerships program. The improvements will increase opportunities for activities and events to be held at the centre and help it to continue to support the needs of this growing community.

AUSTRALIA DAY EVENT REMINDER

I look forward to meeting with those of you attending the Australia Day events at Jindabyne and Cooma on Tuesday. In addition, we have several other community/local events taking place throughout the region. For details see www.snowymonaro.nsw.gov.au/759/Australia-Day.

BUSHFIRE PREPAREDNESS

The recent fire at Mila (south of Bombala) serves as a reminder to us all not to be complacent and make sure that we prepare in advance for the coming bushfire season. I urge you all to ensure you get ready now and don’t leave it until the last minute. Information is available at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au

FINAL WEEK OF SCHOOL HOLIDAYS Finally, I’d like to wish all the children of the region a very enjoyable final week of the school holidays. It has been great to see so many out and about throughout the region – especially on bikes – and I hope you are all well rested and ready to launch into a new school year. I’m sure by now the parents are also looking forward to the start of school as well!

Councillor Peter Beer Mayor of Snowy Monaro Regional Council