www.indigoshire.vic.gov.au September – October 2018

Councillor catch up From the Mayor Cr Jenny O’Connor Hi everyone Welcome to this new column. Different Councillors will contribute to this for each edition of the Informer. Our aim is for you to get to know your Councillors better through this column and as always, we welcome any feedback. We are in a particularly exciting time at the moment with work on the $1.84m Rutherglen Economic Revitalisation Project ramping up and Martins Lane in Chiltern now looking like a ‘town square’ for people to gather and relax. Council’s stand on becoming a plastic-free organisation is a great move and we encourage the rest of the community to continue their efforts in reducing our use of plastics. In the centre pages you will find a list of the capital works we intend to complete across the Shire this year. This is a large body of prioritised work each year and it provides important infrastructure and services for our community. On a much broader note, I mention Mayor Cr Jenny O’Connor with a basket of alternatives for plastic items. National Child Protection Week from 2 – 8 September. Council will be supporting this week, including White Balloon Day on 7 September. This is the longest Indigo is proud to be plasticwise running annual national awareness campaign for the prevention of child Indigo Shire is leading the way in There are simple changes we can all sexual assault. We are planning our sustainability by committing to reducing, make to reduce plastics, such as bringing involvement and will be publicising this and eventually removing, single-use plastics your own coffee cup or water bottle, closer to the time. from all Council operations and events. dining in, using boomerang bags and The Plasticwise Policy, adopted by taking your own containers when buying Council in July, responds to growing takeaway and deli foods. Community Forums community concern about the We are encouraging committees, clubs • Tuesday September 18 – Sandy environmental impacts of waste, and businesses across the Shire to do particularly single-use plastic. their part. Look out for the ‘Proud to be Creek/ at Sandy Plasticwise’ stickers in shops and cafes; Creek Hall, 6pm-7pm Plastics never disappear, they break up into smaller pieces that contaminate waterways this means the business is taking steps • Tuesday October 16 – Chiltern and end up being ingested by animals and to reduce plastic. Memorial Hall, 6pm-7pm humans. A huge amount of resources, For more information on the Plasticwise • Tuesday November 13 – like water and petrochemicals, goes into Policy, including tips on what you can do School of Arts Hall, making single-use plastics, and this process to reduce plastic waste, visit the Indigo 6pm-7pm also contributes to climate change. Shire website.

Spring into action against European wasps – Page 6 2 strength of community Connecting our community Help is only a call away for Indigo Shire residents, with two new services to support and connect people in our community. Indigo Calling is a telephone visiting program where trained volunteers make regular phone calls to participants to have a chat and check-in. A team of is supported by an Age Friendly volunteer Community Connectors will grant from State Government also be on hand to help people find Department of Health and Human services and activities in their own Services. Indigo Calling and Community communities. Both services are a way to Connectors will both be delivered by help our residents feel less isolated and Health Service, Indigo more connected to the community. North Health and Health. If you, or someone you know, would like These programs were developed to find out more please contact your following community feedback on closest local health service. Council’s Ageing Well project, which Putting our customers first Roz steps into We are always trying to improve on our We recognise that all members of our mentor role customer service and have a new Customer community expect us to provide a A big thank you to Roz Ellerbock, Service Charter in place. It is based on the personalised, responsive service. one of the newest mentors in belief that excellent customer service is: We encourage you to offer feedback on Council’s Learn to Drive L2P • relating to people in a positive, both the services we offer, and the way program. The program helps meaningful way they are delivered. disadvantaged young learner drivers (aged 16-21) to get the 120 • sharing our knowledge and By telling us what we’re doing well, driving hours needed to graduate to information in a responsive manner and where you would like to see their Ps, by matching them with a • responding to customers’ requests in an improvement, you help us stay mentor from their community who an appropriate and timely manner connected with the community and takes them out driving regularly • respect for your privacy and continue to meet your needs. The in a vehicle supplied by Council. confidentiality and that of others Charter is on our website. The program runs in Rutherglen, Beechworth, Yackandandah and We commit to responding to . We still need you when you contact us more mentors in Beechworth, In person by next business day Yackandandah and Tangambalanga, so if you relate well to young Over the phone by next business day people and can spare an hour a Via email within 4 business days week, please contact L2P Support In writing within 10 business days Officer Anna on 0417 156 598 or [email protected] From our website by next business day for more information. Via Facebook by next business day

Survey says … still one of the best Each year the Victorian Government conducts a community satisfaction survey of local government councils. For Indigo Shire, the 2018 survey involved 400 phone calls (landline and mobile) to residents in February and March 2018 across three postcode regions, as below: 1 Wahgunyah, Rutherglen, Chiltern, Barnawartha, Indigo Valley area 2. -Tangambalanga, Sandy Creek, Yackandandah area 3. Beechworth, , Stanley area. The results show that Indigo has once again scored well in this survey, maintaining a consistent score over the past few years. This year the results in six out of the seven compulsory measures for Indigo, were significantly higher than the average for the Small Rural group of councils that Indigo Shire belongs to. And Indigo’s scores were above the average ratings on all seven core measures for the State-wide group, which includes big regional and metropolitan councils.

Indigo informer September – October 2018 building a better future 3 Young people leading the way Young people in Indigo Shire have a new mechanism to express their views and access more leadership training. Council’s Youth Ambassadors Program was borne out of youth consultations in 2016, when young people, parents and service providers working with young people across the Shire expressed a clear desire for a stronger youth voice and more leadership training opportunities for local young people. The program started in July, with the first session facilitated with leadership mentors from The Meeting Space. In this first year the new Youth Ambassadors Program will engage two groups of young people, our Junior Youth Ambassadors made up of 15 Year 5 students representing each primary school in the shire and our Senior Youth Ambassadors made up of 12 14-18 year olds from Wahgunyah to Tangambalanga and all points in between. The aim is to have youth representatives from each key community training in leadership, communication and team work development and engaging these young people in discussions and direct actions to create positive change in their communities.

Youth Events go Plastic Wise Community energy The annual Battle of the Bands event in June at the Rutherglen Memorial Hall was a movement builds roaring success again this year, hosted by the talented Rutherglen Youth Action crew. The crew made the event their first Plastic Wise Youth event, following Council’s momentum commitment to reducing the use of single use soft plastics. The Youth Crew ensured that all performers and audience members were either using reusable stainless steel Following in the footsteps of Totally water bottles or paper cups, chose plastic wise options for catering and decorations, Renewable Yackandandah (TRY), action and set up a soft plastics recycle station for soft plastics brought in by audience on climate change and community members. owned energy is spreading across the Shire. 2018 has seen the launch of Totally Renewable Beechworth, with several community engagement and educational events held. Both groups, along with many others in the broader region, are all working together on common goals, including a community energy retailer. The vision for the community energy retailer is to source clean, renewable energy, generated in the region, and invest in local energy initiatives, and keep profits from electricity sales local. Indigo Shire would An artist’s views of what the new skate park will be like when operational. love to help groups in other towns join this movement, please contact us if you are interested. Skating into the future The final design for stage two of the Funding for the new Skate Park is made new Yackandandah Skate Park is nearing up of a $100,000 grant from Sport and completion, with construction expected Recreation Victoria and $155,000 of to start towards the end of this year. Council funds. The final design is based on input from a community working group made up of Construction of stage one is expected to 32 people from across the shire. be complete by the end of 2018.

Indigo informer September – October 2018 4 building a better future What Council is building in your area in 2018-19 Council’s annual Capital Works Program involves a significant amount of work right across the Shire from general roadworks to specific projects in our towns. This financial year the Capital Works budget is $9.7 million. The list below includes the main capital works projects for the Shire in 2018/19. There are several ongoing projects which are shown separately on these pages.

Project Name / Asset Description 2018/19 Budget Project Name / Asset Description...... 2018/19 Budget Chiltern Beechworth Courthouse Building - Damp Proofing Works...... 30,000 Childcare / kindergarten building renewal works...... 10,000 Athenaeum - Various Renewal works (subject to funding)...... 51,656 Former Railway Station Building- roofing...... 45,000 Swimming Pool - Various renewal works...... 20,300 Beechworth caretakers cottage, Urban Drainage improvements...... 45,000 subject to Council consideration of priorities...... 180,000 Netball Courts Renewal and Upgrade...... 380,000 Shire Office - The Pines - external lighting upgrade...... 5,000 Kerb & Channel Renewal - Kilgour Street, Chiltern...... 24,000 Historic Sub-Treasury Building - ceiling repairs...... 10,000 Main Street Kerb and Channel Replacement...... 55,112 Queen Victoria Park Rotunda - railing and flooring renewal...... 16,000 Chiltern-Yackandandah Road widening (1.1 km section)...... 270,000 Goods Shed redevelopment (grant funded)...... 327,000 Urban Seal Extension - North Road / Gordon Street...... 40,000 Swimming Pool - various renewal works...... 13,300 Kergunyah Footpath - Loch Street, Beechworth...... 33,000 Kergunyah Hall Upgrade (contribution, subject to grant)...... 40,000 Beechworth to Osbornes Flat Rail Trail (grant funded)...... 1,645,500 Urban drainage improvements...... 35,000 Kiewa Urban seal extension - Finch St (lower section)...... 34,000 Urban Seal Extension – Kiewa forecourt service area ...... 30,000 Urban seal extension - Temple Street...... 16,000 Urban seal extension - Lake View Drive...... 14,000 Rutherglen Urban seal extension - Short Street...... 7,000 Wine Experience Building (50/50 Renewal Responsibility)..... 80,000 Urban seal extension - Wood Street...... 43,000 Playgroup Building – Flooring Renewal...... 6,000 Lions Clubrooms (50/50 responsibility with VicTrack)...... 28,000 Shire wide Memorial Hall - Various renewal projects...... 30,000 Compliance with water supply backflow devices...... 12,000 Swimming Pool - Various renewal works...... 7,375 Energy efficiency improvements...... 30,000 Footpath - Reid Street...... 82,000 Play equipment replacement...... 35,000 Footpath - Murray Valley Hwy...... 25,000 Street and park furniture renewal...... 25,000 Urban Drainage improvements...... 130,000 Library book stock...... 67,000 Lake King Revitalisation...... 786,000 Library book stock - e resource books...... 15,000 Bridge renewal works - multiple sites...... 220,000 Kerb & Channel Renewal - Murphy Street / Culbertson Street...... 40,000 Rural road drainage...... 60,000 Kerb & Channel Renewal - Ready Street...... 54,000 Water bubblers...... 20,000 Parks and gardens renewals...... 52,000 Kerb & Channel Renewal - Nott Street...... 20,000 Resealing program...... 405,000 Main Street Revitalisation...... 63,605 Final seals program...... 50,000 Tangambalanga Sealed pavement rehabilitation...... 129,980 Lions Building Internal Painting...... 15,000 Roads major patching...... 50,000 Community Hall - Access improvement works...... 20,000 Annual gravel re-sheeting...... 612,000 Swimming Pool - Various renewal works...... 7,300 Rural road Safety Improvements...... 15,000 Urban shoulder sealing program...... 40,000 Wahgunyah Road design and planning...... 65,000 Footpath - Short Street...... 30,600 Footpath - Wahgunyah to Moodemere Shared Trail Miscellaneous - Stage 3 planning...... 30,000 Fleet replacement...... 158,000 Rowing Facility...... 160,000 New library van fit out and hoist...... 15,000 Kerb & Channel Renewal - Victoria Street...... 15,000 Plant replacement...... 749,000 Computer replacement program...... 20,000 Wooragee Wooragee Tennis Club - Renewal and Upgrade...... 195,000 Yackandandah Caravan Park Completion of water main Upgrade...... 15,000 Courthouse - Various Renewal works...... 20,000 Swimming Pool - Various renewal works...... 11,725 Yackandandah Skate Park...... 255,000 Foodworks - Disabled Parking Improvements...... 7,000 Seal Extension - Bells Flat Road...... 122,320 Osbornes Flat Road - School Service Road Improvements.... 112,173 Urban Seal Extension - Lane ...... 16,000

Indigo informer September – October 2018 building a better future 5

Martins Lane is Rutherglen gets a new look the place to be

The $1.834 million Rutherglen $1.834 million project for infrastructure The Martins Lane development in Economic Revitalisation Project is taking improvements to three key precincts; Chiltern is now a reality. Street furniture, planter boxes, bike racks and lighting shape to link a revamped Main Street • Rutherglen Main Street with the two key precincts of Lake are in place. The lane on both sides of • Hopetoun Road (sealing of road King and the Wine Bottle via improved Conness Street is part of the Chiltern from to Wine pathways and connectivity. A Federal Placemaking Project and is a genuine Bottle, construction of footpath Government grant of $900,000 is being ‘town square’ meeting place, a hub for along Hopetoun Road, enhancement matched by Council to do this work. It community to gather. of Wine Bottle precinct) is expected that this project will create Work on the town entry element of up to 29 ongoing jobs, boosting visitor • Lake King (landscaping enhancement the placemaking project is underway numbers and the economic vibrancy of of Lake King including removal of dam with drainage works and landscape the town. wall, improvements to pathways). plans nearing completion. Designs for a sculpture will be assessed soon. Watch this space! This is where we are up to: Main Street precinct Wine Bottle and Hopetoun Streetscape works, footpath extension Road precinct – nearly finished to Drummond Street, footpath in Sealing of road from Murray Valley Bowling Green Lane Highway to Wine Bottle, construction • Completion scheduled – November 2018 of footpath along Hopetoun Road, enhancement of Wine Bottle precinct Lake King Precinct including tree planting, landscaping, park benches installed, bike rack, water Landscaping enhancement of Lake bubbler. King including removal of dam wall, Other works improvements to pathways • Long vehicle parking – programmed to • Community engagement including The infrastructure is in place, and as the plants be completed by December. grow Martins Lane will become a true ‘green’ stakeholder meeting to present and town meeting place. finalise plans - August-September 2018 • Way finding signage – programmed to be completed by December. • Tender for construction – October/ November 20188 • Resolution of Public Art installation. • Commence construction - January 2019 • Naming of component of project after Don Chambers. • Complete construction - May 2019

The new bike racks in Conness Street are part of the project.

Indigo informer September – October 2018 6 environmental matters Take your e-waste to a better place Australians dispose of over 100,000 tonnes of e-waste each year - that’s around 5kg per person – and most of it can be recycled. E-waste refers to any item with a plug, battery or cord that is no longer working or wanted. It includes everything from old mobile phones, computers and related equipment, audio devices, refrigerators and other white goods, hair driers, TVs, heaters, and air- conditioners. Spring into action now to E-waste often contains many valuable materials such as aluminium, tin and prevent European wasps gold that can be recovered and re-used. But e-waste can also contain hazardous Early spring is the most important time of the year for wasp control. As the weather materials, such as lead and mercury, warms up, the snoozing queen wasps will emerge from hibernation to look for nest which can cause environmental sites. It takes just one queen to start a nest, which can result in up to 100,000 wasps. contamination, so it’s important to keep By trapping the queens in early spring, you can significantly reduce the number of nests it out of landfill. and wasps later in summer. Simple wasp traps are available from hardware stores. Community wasp actions groups (the WaspBusters) have been trialling a coordinated bait station program in Yackandandah and Beechworth to control wasps during The State Government has implemented summer and autumn. a ban on e-waste from landfill across Victoria from mid-2019, which What can you do to help? means you won’t be able to put any • use a wasp trap during spring of it in your regular rubbish bin. To • stay tuned for opportunities to host a wasp bait station in summer help make e-waste recycling easier • reduce food scraps available to wasps for our residents, there will be no charge to drop-off your e-waste at the • keep an eye open for wasp nests on your property and get them treated - notify Beechworth and Rutherglen Transfer Council of nests on public land Stations from 1 July 2019. • join the WaspBusters community action groups – contact Council for more information.

Biodiversity on ground action grants Congratulations to the Landcare groups in the Shire that have been successful in the 2018 Biodiversity on Ground Action (BOGA) Grant round. BOGA grants are offered to community groups on an annual basis by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Volunteers will be working on the following projects, assisted by the grant funding: • Friends of Yackandandah Creek: Yackandandah creek weed control and restoration • Beechworth Urban Landcare and Sustainability: Beechworth bush botanic garden • Ovens Landcare Network (comprising several Landcare groups across the Shire): Valuing Roadsides. Stay tuned for interactive events in Wooragee, Rutherglen, Chiltern and Indigo Valley, where you can learn more about the unique environment of our roadsides, and your role in conserving it. John McIntyre is a tireless worker with the Friends of Yackandandah Creek group.

Indigo informer September – October 2018 what’s on 7

SEPTEMBER 29-30 September Pfeiffer Wines Rutherglen Scarecrows, Sausages and Regular Events 8 September Yackandandah Old Time Dance Group Annual Dance Weekend Shiraz Festival Wahgunyah www.pfeifferwinesrutherglen.com.au Every Thursday Yackandandah Thursday Night Blues Jam Yackandandah 14 September Terrines, Rillettes and facebook.com/starhotelyack Relishes Cooking Class Wahgunyah OCTOBER www.pickledsisters.com.au 6 October Pfeiffer Wines Rutherglen Every Friday & fourth Saturday Spring Farmers Market, Wahgunyah Stanley Women of the 19th Century 15 September Beethoven’s Letters ft. mivic.org.au/stanley.html John Bell and Tinalley String Quartet [email protected] Wahgunyah 13 -14 October Beechworth Oktoberfest Every Saturday www.allsaintswine.com.au Beechworth Rutherglen Historical Town Guided Walk 16 September Yackandandah Garden [email protected] explorerutherglen.com.au Club Garden Expo Yackandandah 13 October Barnawartha Community Every Sunday 27-30 September Rutherglen Wine Garage Sale Live Music on the balcony at Beechworth Show Rutherglen [email protected] Bakery www.beechworthbakery.com.au www.rutherglenwineshow.com.au 14 October Kiewa Camp Oven Cook Off Tangambalanga First Friday First Friday Long Table Lunch [email protected] indigovineyard.com.au 20 October Yackandandah Town Garage Sale First Saturday [email protected] Beechworth Farmers Market facebook.com/beechworthfarmersmarket 21 October Rutherglen Agricultural Show Music on the Murray, Wahgunyah [email protected] stleonardswine.com.au 26 October - 25 November Spring Arts in Beechworth First Sunday [email protected] Chiltern Markets explorechiltern.com.au 27 October MTB XC State Series - Beechworth Second Saturday [email protected] Yackandandah Old Time Dance exploreyackandandah.com.au Second Sunday Rutherglen Farmers Market explorerutherglen.com.au Chiltern Music Jam explorechiltern.com.au Third Saturday Yackandandah Produce Swap uniqueyackandandah.com.au Third Sunday Yackandandah Lions Club Market exploreyackandandah.com.au Last Tuesday Life Drawing Class at Mayday Hills Art Society

www.indigoshire.vic.gov.au/whatson

Indigo informer September – October 2018 8 thethe last last word word Feral olives are a growing problem Olives are feral in Indigo Shire. • If you are thinking about Olive seeds are spread by birds, landscaping your property, often ending up in our road consider native plants reserves where they germinate instead, which thrive in this Free and the trees thrive. Many road environment. reserves in the Shire are • If you love the look of the Let'srecycling clean up our recyclingimportant act for their conservation olive tree, choose the in Indigo Shire values, being home to remnant non-fruiting variety Soft plasti cs such as plasti c bags, cling Currently around 10% ofnative the waste vegetation and providing commercially available as wrap and food packaging are not put in Indigo Shire's yellowhabitat lid forkerbside our native animals. “Swan Hill olive” recyclableT inh ethe fol lyellowowing binitem —s abutre a thatccep ted recycle bins is non-recyclableOlive trees materials. can outcompete doesn't mean they are headed for natives. free of charge at these facilities These contaminants cost more ti me landfi ll! What can you do? in Indigo Shire: and money to process, and can waste Soft plasti cs can be recycled via space in the recycle bin.• PlacingIf you have olive trees in your Beechworth Rutherglen garden, make sure you Redcycle collecti on points in most items in the incorrect bin is also a lost Transfer Station Transfer Station harvest all the fruit before major supermarkets,Diffey Road and in Indigo Cornishtown Roadopportunity to repurpose, reuse or Beechworth Rutherglen the birds get to them, evenGet if rid of those nasty Shire at the Chiltern Post Offi ce, and recycle them. you don’t want to use it. more volunteerPaper Plasti cwise groups arePaper home chemicals So, let's lower the contaminati on rate springing upGlass* — see the Plasti cwise Glass* Aluminium and steel Aluminium andby steel sorti ng your plasti c recyclables. It Household chemicals can harm your facebook pages for more informati on. More to recycle? Car batteries Car batteries certainly can be done! Residents' green family and your pets, add fuel to a Scrap metal Scrap metal lid organics bins consistentlyIf you arehave having less troublehouse fitting fi re, all release your recyclables toxic fumes in andyour (including car bodies) (including car bodies) • facebook.com/plasticwiseyackandandahWaste motor oil recycle bin you can make more room by squashing containers Waste motor oil than 1% contaminati on. pollute the environment. • facebook.com/plasticwisebeechworth Plastic waste oil and flattening cardboard. Plastic waste oil containers containers (upUse to 15L) of the green bin across Indigo Shire The Detox your Home program • facebook.com/plasticwiseau(up to 15L) You can also upsize your recycle bin from the standard 240 litres DrumMUSTER Gas cylinders ** is saving more than 2000to 360tonnes litres from for as littlehelps as $17.65 you disposeextra per of year.unwanted toxic Gas cylinderslandfi ** ll per year. Polystyrene* Polystyrene* Contact Council’s Wastehousehold Department chemicals for further without details. harming White goods your health or the environment. The scrunch test White goodsCombined with the other materials Clean fill Clean fill Collected items are recycled for recycled, this saves 98 tonnes of CO2 Green Waste If you can scrunchSilage wrap the item with your Silage wrap recovery and diverted from landfi ll. emissions a month, equivalentTransfer to Station hand and it E-wastedoesn't bounce back into E-waste times Two free green waste disposal shape it's a soft plasti. c taking 24 cars off the road. The programweekends is administered at the Transfer by Stations • Diffey Road Beechworth,Sustainability will be Victoria offered in laterpartnership this year, Do not putT oit infi nthed ouyellowt m bin,ore save vis iitt our webTransfersite Stati on ti1pm-5pm mes Friday, with localtimed councils, to coincideand is funded with CFA by Fire for Redcycleha andlve Plastiwas tcwisee.co. m.au Saturday, Sunday, the VictorianAction landfi Week, ll levy. usually towards • Diff ey Road BeechworthMonday the end of October. Other common contaminants in the Detox your Home will be in Wangaratt a 1pm-5pm Friday, Saturday,• Cornishtown Road yellow bin are polystyrene foam meat 10am-2pm,When Saturday dates 12are May confirmed 2018, *Domestic quantities only. Sunday, Monday Rutherglen, 1pm-5pm trays and coff ee cups. These are not at the Councilinformation Works Depot,will be 51–69displayed **Up to 9kg and 45kg cylinders only. • Cornishtown Road RutherglenFriday, Saturday, Sunday via Council’s website, Facebook recyclable,Effective it's from best 1 July to 2018. avoid using these Newman Street. Full details at www. 1pm-5pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday and other media outlets. products. indigoshire.vic.gov.au/detox.

Councillor Contacts Council Meeti ng Schedule Jenny O’Connor — Mayor [email protected] Meeti ngs are 6.30pm-9.30pm, at 0417 126 409 the Beechworth Council Chambers, 2 Kurrajong Way, Mayday Hills. All Sophie Price — Deputy Mayor members of the community are [email protected] invited to att end. 0400 651 848 STREAMED LIVE on Bernard Gaff ney bernard.gaff [email protected] 2018 Meeti ng Calendar Special committ ees of Council are open 0419 181 234 to the public. For meeti ng ti mes see Tuesday 27 February ww.indigoshire.vic.gov.au/committ ees Larry Goldsworthy Tuesday 27 March [email protected] Tuesday 24 April 0499 450 041 T: 1300 365 003 , 03 5728 8000 Tuesday 29 May F: 03 5728 1676 James Trenery Tuesday 26 June [email protected] E: [email protected] Tuesday 31 July 0429 417 420 www.indigoshire.vic.gov.au Tuesday 28 August Barb Murdoch Tuesday 25 September Customer Service Centres [email protected] 0407 821 221 Tuesday 30 October Beechworth: 1300 365 003 Tuesday 27 November Chiltern: 1300 365 003 Diane Shepheard Tuesday 18 December Yackandandah: 1300 365 003 [email protected] Rutherglen: 02 6033 6801 0428 115 213 www.indigoshire.vic.gov.au/meeti ngs

indigo informer April-May 2018