Media releases

Singer/songwriter wins $500 prize in Lovin’ Talent promotion

The sponsorship of local education and training provider Western College for this year’s Lovin’ Talent promotion has earned local talent Jo Hyndes the $500 prizemoney.

 

The singer/songwriter received the cash prize after performing at the Lovin’ Dubbo Festival. She was among a group of amateur entertainers who put their hand up to be part of a talent showcase at the Cyril Flood Rotunda during the nine-day event.

 

Lovin’ Dubbo event manager, Dubbo City Council’s Lana Willetts congratulated Ms Hyndes on her success and said it would not been possible without the generosity shown by Western College.

 

“The amount of support shown for this event has been outstanding,” she said.

 

“Without our business sponsors and community support, the festival just wouldn’t have been possible.

 

“Thank you Western College and congratulations to Jo, I hope she will be able to use this as a platform for future successes.”

 

Western College Deputy CEO, Erifili Davis said the training institution was proud to be a supporter of the Lovin’ Dubbo Festival.

 

“For us, it’s about supporting local projects and the local community. Western College seeks to encourage development in all areas of our community and economy,” Mrs Davis said.

“Arts and culture is an integral part of regional development and this was a logical way to contribute.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Western College marketing assistant, Louise Lewis on (02) 6884 2899.

MONTHLY COUNCIL MEETING

Dubbo City Council has voted not to introduce a 40kmh speed limit in the City’s Central Business District (CBD).

The decision came at Monday night’s monthly Council Meeting in which a rescission motion rejecting the rezoning was passed.

Dubbo Mayor Cr Allan Smith confirmed the proposal to provide a 40kmh speed zone generally bounded by Bligh, Cobra and Darling streets was not adopted.

“Plans were submitted to the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) earlier in the year and the proposal went on public display,” he said.

“However, councillors have voted against the implementation citing it as unnecessary expenditure in what is already a heavy traffic area.”

 

MEDIA CONTACT: For further information, please contact Dubbo Mayor Allan Smith on (02) 6801 4101.

MONTHLY COUNCIL MEETING

Council has voted to approve the development of a guesthouse at 70 Darling Street, North Dubbo.

The single-storey construction will follow the demolition of an existing residential dwelling and the developer adhering to conditions imposed by Council.

The original two-storey development proposal submitted to Council was not considered to be consistent with surrounding development and the existing streetscape.

Mayor Allan Smith said the new plans submitted were in accordance with the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act.

“The scale and style of the development has been re-designed to better conform with the local amenity of the neighbourhood,” Cr Smith said.

“The project was given the go-ahead at Monday’s Council meeting after the new plans were submitted changing the original two storeys to one.”

When completed the guesthouse is expected to provide accommodation for itinerant workers coming to the City and a stop-off point for backpackers.

An in-house manager will reside on the premises. 

MEDIA CONTACT: For further information, please contact Mayor Allan Smith on 68014101 or 0418 639 053.

MONTHLY COUNCIL MEETING

Council has voted to accept a tender for a contract to provide the collection and processing of domestic recyclables in Dubbo City.

Managed by NetWaste, the tendering process attracted one bid from JR Richards & Sons as a result of the fresh invitations of tenders which closed on 4 August 2009.

New tenders were called which included the option of processing recyclables at a facility remote to the local area. Council accepted the 10-year tender which will involve JR Richards & Sons collecting recyclables at the kerbside and processing them at the Visy Materials Recoverable Facility at Smithfield in Sydney.

“One option in the tender, to construct an Educational Resource Centre at JR Richards & Sons’ Fitzroy Street site, was not accepted, but otherwise kerbside recycling is on the way,” Cr Smith said.

“Twenty-five per cent of the City’s domestic waste is expected to be diverted from landfill with the introduction of the fortnightly service in the Dubbo Local Government Area by 1 July 2010.’’

Cr Smith said in the 2007 Community Attitude Survey, local residents rated recycling as the service most in need of attention among 49 other services provided by Council. He said this support had also been reflected in other biennial customer surveys conducted specifically on Council’s waste management functions.

The Mayor said that in addition to accepting a tender for the service, Council had also resolved, following the public consultation process in October 2009, a maximum amount of $247 per domestic service be included in Council’s draft 2010/2011 Revenue Policy.

“$106 of this maximum amount relates to kerbside recycling - $141 relates to the weekly kerbside collection of general waste.”

MEDIA CONTACT:

For further information, please contact Mayor Allan Smith on 6801 4101 or 0418 639 053.

 

Council last night voted to financially support Dubbo City Development Corporation (DCDC) for a six months interim period; however a rescission motion was lodged which now means the issue remains unresolved pending Council’s determination in respect of the rescission motion.

Dubbo Mayor Allan Smith says Council will now meet at 5.30pm, 6 November to vote on the rescission motion.

If the motion is defeated and DCDC is contracted for six months, during the contract term Council will consider its future directions in respect of the delivery of the economic development program.

Please attribute the following statement to

Mayor Allan Smith,  6801 4101 or 0418 639 053.

MONTHLY COUNCIL MEETING

Council has voted to make available more land in the Keswick Estate following the success of previous stages of the development.

Council is confident the move to develop 50 residential blocks in Release 5 is achievable given that in Release 4 (27 lots) marketed  in 2008/09 were all sold by July this year.

Mayor Allan Smith said Dubbo was home to a substantial building industry and this release will provide a further stimulus to the various trades.

“Housing is statistically very affordable in our City and the residential serviced land market has seen an increase in sales over the past 12 months,” Cr Smith said.

“With the majority of lots selling in the city recently for around $110,000 for an average lot, this release will aim at providing affordable lots, while keeping the premium housing level that currently exists.”

It was reported to Council that the pricing structure would enable Council to provide affordable land, while gaining the maximum market price for the higher quality lots in the Release.

“With past releases selling quickly Council is planning to satisfy demand while maximising the return to ratepayers.” Cr Smith added.

A detailed marketing plan for the sale of the new allotments will be provided to Council in 2010.

“It is important that we, as a community, do everything we can to ensure we maintain the strength of the residential building industry,’’ “It is also an important employment sector in the local economy.’’

MEDIA CONTACT: For further information, please contact Mayor Allan Smith on (02) 6801 4101 or 0418 639 053.

Western Plains Cultural Centre (WPCC) has taken out a prestigious award for Education and Public Engagement at the Museums & Galleries NSW Imagine Awards.

Now in their second year, the Imagine Awards celebrate the achievements of both the professional and volunteer-run museums and galleries in NSW and the ACT and those who work in them.

WPCC manager Brigette Leece said the award; presented at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney was especially important given the competition.

"Our centre was recognised for its work in education and engagement with its patrons ahead of institutions including the Powerhouse Museum, the Australian Museum, the Australian War Memorial and other major state and national museums and galleries," said Ms Leece.

"The people of our region can be justifiably proud of the WPCC and this Imagine award caps a very successful year for the Centre."

The WPCC was awarded for instituting a number of education programmes that increase accessibility and add value to the WPCC experience.

This was achieved by establishing innovative partnerships with the education sector, employing new technologies, providing professional skills to volunteer guides and packaging the collection for regional touring.

"This award, considering who we were up against, is a real feather in the WPCC cap and another win for Dubbo."

MEDIA CONTACT: WPCC manager Brigette Leece, on (02) 6801 4444.

Crafty creations turn from trash to treasure and snapshots go on the road

From the tip to the roadtrip, a photographic display of artworks from the 2008-2009 Regional Waste to Art competition will be on display at Dubbo’s Macquarie Regional Library until 27 November 2009.

More than 150 artworks made from recycled materials were originally displayed at a regional exhibition in May. Some 68 of these artworks were photographed and are now being taken around the NetWaste region.

Dubbo City Council’s Director Technical Services Stewart McLeod said the exhibition gave people a chance to see almost half of the artworks featured in the annual competition.

"The photographs will be travelling around the NetWaste region so that communities can see the incredible work that has been created using materials that no one wants anymore," he said.

Mr McLeod said the Sims Metal Waste to Art project is held annually to let budding artists and community members turn trash into treasure.

"Every year, Australia continues to create mountains of waste. This competition provides an outlet to reuse and recycle some of the waste that is generated across the region through arts and crafts," he said.

Mr McLeod urged members of the public to visit the exhibition.

"Take time to call in and have a look at the incredible work that people from our communities have created using materials that no one wants anymore. It’s amazing," he said.

For more information about the Dubbo Waste to Art Competition, contact local Waste to Art coordinator Lee Cooper on (02) 6884 3498 or Council’s Asset Systems Engineer Michael McCulloch on (02) 6801 4000.

NetWaste consists of 28 councils in Central and Western NSW and this year 19 of those councils participated in the Waste to Art competition. The winning artworks from each of the local competitions were transported to a regional exhibition that was held in Gilgandra during May 2009.

MEDIA CONTACT: For further information, please contact Council’s Civil Infrastructure and Solid Waste Asset Systems Engineer Michael McCulloch on (02) 6801 4000.

Water: a ubiquitous chemical substance that is composed of hydrogen and oxygen and is essential for all known forms of life.

Smart water usage in Dubbo City Council’s Parks and Landcare Services has resulted in a 43 per cent reduction and an award nomination.

Council’s Director Parks and Landcare Services Ken Rogers said the division had been named as a finalist in the Local Government and Shires Association Excellence in Environment Awards for its water-saving initiatives.

“We are thrilled with this nomination for work which included installation of an intelligent irrigation control system, irrigation auditing, a move towards more efficient sprinklers and replacement of inefficient irrigation systems,” he said.

“Over four years, it has achieved a 43% reduction - 356ML - in the volume of water applied to parks and sporting facilities without negatively impacting quality of the turf surfaces.”

Other measures included trialling of a new turf species and use of soil wetting agents.

The changes in water usage are in line with Council’s 2009-2013 environmental sustainability plan, Dubbo ALIVE – A Living Initiative for a Vibrant Environment.

“We’ve actually exceeded the targets identified in Council’s sustainability plan,” Mr Rogers said.

“The award nomination is a bonus and shows that we are succeeding in what we do.”

Parks and Landcare Services have also installed stormwater harvesting at Apex Oval with a view to expanding the system to other venues throughout the City.

By 2013, Council aims to reduce household consumption and water usage across all Council operations by 10 per cent.

* DUBBO ALIVE – A Living Initiative for a Vibrant Environment *Covering six major themes: Biodiversity, Pollution, Water, Waste, Salinity, Energy

Covering six major themes: Biodiversity, Pollution, Water, Waste, Salinity, Energy

 

MEDIA CONTACT: For further information, please contact Council’s Director Parks and Landcare Services Ken Rogers, on (02) 6801 4000.

Dubbo Mayor Allan Smith today advised that Council had missed out on obtaining the Local Government Association (LGA) Conference in Dubbo in 2011 despite a “brilliant” campaign.

The 600 delegates to this year’s conference in Tamworth voted for Shoalhaven to host the event in two years time.

Cr Allan Smith said the Dubbo councillors and staff did an excellent job of promoting the City but Shoalhaven won out on the day.

“I would like to congratulate everyone involved in our bid, it was an excellent effort and we received very positive feedback, so much so that we may try again,” Cr Smith said.

“Our stand was very popular with hundreds of council executives from across NSW, and the entertainment and the Dubby pies gave us a point of difference.”

The bid, which was titled 'Come Dance With Me In Dubbo In 2011’ included an appearance by Charlie Bartley whose reality television debut this year saw him gain Australia-wide exposure.

Cr Smith said he was very pleased with the campaign, which was prepared by Council’s City Image Branch and had the support of an online marketing campaign.

“The bid was an exciting reflection of our City and as well as showcasing attractions such as Old Dubbo Gaol, Taronga Western Plains Zoo and our Indigenous heritage it impressed the LGA delegates that Dubbo was a great place to be,” he said.

Cr Smith described the in-house bid to attract the 2011 conference as very worthwhile and cost effective.

“It had the possibility of attracting big money to the City if we were successful, so it was more than justified,” he said.

MEDIA CONTACT: For further information, please contact Dubbo Mayor Cr Allan Smith on 0418 639 053.