A snapshot of our achievements January - March 2016 by Ku-ring-gai Council

A SNAPSHOT OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS JANUARY - MARCH 2016

A SNAPSHOT OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

THEME 1 C O M M U N I T Y, P E O P L E A N D C U LT U R E A healthy, safe, and diverse community that respects our history and celebrates our differences in a vibrant culture of learning.

Active Ku-ring-gai

Ku-ring-gai Art Centre

Council’s Active Ku-ring-gai low-cost fitness program in Term 1 received 265 registrations which is again a strong endorsement from the community. Pilates, Gym Without Walls and the Junior Golf programs were the leading activities in term of registrations. The free walking programs continue to be very popular among senior participants. New instructors were engaged for Yoga and Social Tennis in Term 1.

The period 1 January – 31 March 2016 was a strong one for the Art Centre, with enrolments up by 10%. The January holiday program saw a 22% rise in numbers compared with the September/ October program.

Ku-ring-gai Fitness & Aquatic Centre In this quarter, KFAC attracted healthy attendances due to the warmer weather and school carnival period over February and early March. Total attendance figures were 22,671, 31,576 and 26,463 respectively for January, February and March. Membership numbers have exceeded the budget forecast and reached 2,124 at the close of March. All other membership numbers have increased over the summer with a high of 211 family memberships, and 288 aquatic memberships. The Pryme members (over 55s) increased by another 70 to 470. During March a promotion aimed at seniors to coincide with the Seniors Festival was launched through a community magazine, websites and flyer distribution at the centre. Swimming class enrolments also increased better than expected. There were 72 students in January and 132 students in February with a total of 1,949 students enrolled compared with a budget of 1,700.

Term 1 workshops included new classes such as Izette Felthun’s Raku Ceramics Workshop and a Sterling Silver Pendant Workshop. This brought participants from outside Sydney and rebookings for the Term 2 workshop in June. During this quarter, the centre revamped its annual exhibition schedule, so that future exhibitions are curated to represent a common theme. This new structure allows for a more vibrant, exciting and professional exhibition space and will be an added opportunity for the community to experience diversity in artistic expression at the centre. On that note, the centre hosted the Travel Exhibition with a variety of watercolour paintings and ceramic works, representing the act of traversing through a geographical region or moving from one place to another. The exhibition ran from March until the end of April. With the Art Centre review now complete, work commenced on the Community Garden Project at the rear of the building. Preparation of the garden beds has taken place and soil was laid. A grant has been applied for in this period with the hope of extra funding for this project.

Centre staff and the community were able to reach their goal of raising $25,000 for the annual Swim-a-thon. The money raised goes towards providing training for staff, equipment and funding for swimming classes for the disabled. A new boiler was installed and connected in January replacing the previous one that had served the 50 metre pool for approximately 10 years. This is to ensure the 50 metre pool is provides the required temperature for patrons in the cooler months.

Art Centre Community Garden underway 2

A snapshot of our achievements

| January - March 2016

Australia Day 2016

Centenary of ANZAC During this quarter the Council offered grants of up to $2000 each to local residents and community organisations to commemorate the Centenary of ANZAC. $10,000 in grant funding was set aside for local commemorations of the contribution Ku-ring-gai residents made in the First World War. The West Pymble Chamber of Commerce commissioned a specially constructed digital memorial which was developed during this quarter and unveiled on 23 April. The Council provided a grant of $2000 for the memorial, in addition to federal government funding. Ku-ring-gai Library signed an agreement to host the Australian War Memorial’s travelling exhibition A Camera on Gallipoli. The exhibition is comprised of a series of photographs taken during the Gallipoli campaign by photographer Charles Ryan, a senior medical officer in the AIF. St Ives Library is displaying the exhibition during the months of April and May. Over the next several months it will be displayed in each of the Ku-ring-gai Libraries.

Community events Three citizenship ceremonies were held during this period and the Council welcomed a total of 249 new Australian citizens. The Council’s Australia Day celebrations were held in Bicentennial Park, West Pymble on Tuesday 26 January 2016 from 10.30am to 1pm. A BBQ brunch, free shuttle bus from Gordon train station and children’s show Shaun the Sheep were highlights, as well as local bush band Stringybark, Wuruniri Music and Dance Group, a reptile show and sheep shearing demonstrations. Other activities included thong throwing, amusement rides and free laser tag brought to the event by local business Laserwarriors. In the afternoon residents were invited to the Ku-ringgai Fitness and Aquatic Centre for an afternoon of pool entertainment and activities.

International Women’s Day was celebrated in February at the Ku-ring-gai Wild Flower Garden with over 120 people in attendance. The key theme was violence against women, its impacts on the lives of individuals and families and what role we as a community can play in addressing this issue. A highlight of the event was the recognition of local women making a difference to their local community and the presentation of certificates by the Mayor to the “Gems of Ku-ring-gai”. The community-based initiative for refugees supported by residents, Lifeline, Rotary, local churches and schools and the Migrant Resource Centre concluded in March with an overwhelming number of ‘welcome packs’ provided for Syrian refugees.

Older residents During the January – March quarter 38 activities and events for seniors were hosted, with 1025 older residents attending. Feedback from participants gave a satisfaction rating of over 90%. Activities included Falls Prevention and Basically Backs classes; a Seniors in Action program and the month long Seniors festival held during March. The Festival was launched with the annual morning tea and concert, followed by the Mayoral awards which honoured 19 local residents and organisations.. A new activity with the Youth Centre was hosted called T.E.A.C.H. (Teaching Elderly Adults wanting Computer Help), as well as historical seminars, free movies, iPad training, a seminar on dementia and ageing and a full day workshop preparing senior drivers over 85 for their annual driving review. The Ku-ring-gai shuttle service continues to grow in popularity. The service picks up seniors from their home on a Thursday and takes them anywhere in the local area. Over the last 9 months there have been 406 individual pickups to shopping & social outings, with 95 in the last quarter.

Ku-ring-gai Council

Younger children

Older children & young adults

Council-provided services for children including family day care, long day care, vacation care and immunisation have continued to be in high demand, with several reaching capacity during this quarter.

During this quarter a number of activities and workshops were held for parents, teens and young adults. The March Parent Forum called Enjoying the HSC Journey was hosted. AWOL Youth Hub in Gordon offered activities 5 days per week during the reporting period and the FITZ Youth Centre at St Ives offered activities one day per week. A range of school holiday activities were delivered in the January school holidays.

The Family Day Care service registered three new educators, with three more currently undergoing registration. The average age of children using the service is 19 months to 3 years and make up 55% of our total enrolments. Most educators now offer services across 5 days (63%) and also offer care between the hours of 7.30am and 6pm. During this quarter Thomas Carlyle Children’s Centre operated at 95% utilisation level with a few vacancies on Monday and Friday in the 3 to 5 year old age group. There were 77 children and 66 families using the Centre. And 15% of children are from non-English speaking backgrounds. There are also three children at the Centre with additional support needs. The Centre has been working closely with KU Inclusion Support Agency and other community organisations such as a speech therapist and a hearing specialist to provide quality care for these children. During this quarter the Centre was approved to increase its capacity to 54 children per day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. There were 123 children on the Centre waiting list with care primarily needed in the 0-2 age range. Vacation Care centres operated for three weeks in January at two centres and for four weeks at our third centre in West Pymble. Between 50 -55 children were at each centre with a maximum of 160 places offered per day. Approximately 520 families are using the Vacation Care service at this time with a 97% utilisation rate. We currently receive funding for four families with children experiencing additional needs at our centres.

Council staff attended Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Youth Network monthly meetings with local community organisations.

Library services During this quarter several interesting author talks were held. Angus Stewart gave a fascinating talk on his new book Native Gardening in Australia with 35 people attending. Hendrik Gout – A TV presenter for Adelaide’s Today Tonight discussed his book Once Upon a Distant Journey about his journey across Australia on a motorbike. Another popular talk was from Tim Heard, Australia’s noted native bee expert promoting his book Australian Native Bees. A ‘pop-up’ Crafternoon for Chinese New Year was held where staff and borrowers created items resourced from the library collection of craft books. The weekly Cryptic Crossword group is still popular with residents, as are the Scrabble, knitting for charity and other groups meeting regularly in the libraries. E-book tuition sessions are proving to be highly popular, with sessions booking out as soon as registrations open. As a result staff are giving one-on-one sessions on an ad hoc basis. During February the libraries had a Health theme running and talks were held on Depression and Living Alone. A talk presented by the Chinese community on Cancer Survival was also hosted. Gordon Library hosted a travelling photographic exhibition from the State Library of NSW called ‘Truth in historic photos revealed’ This contained historic and iconic photos and the original story of why they were taken.

Demand for the Council's childcare and vacation services continues to be high 4

A snapshot of our achievements

| January - March 2016

The Centenary of ANZAC exhibition at Gordon Library

A SNAPSHOT OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

THEME 2 N AT U R A L E N V I R O N M E N T Working together as a community to protect and enhance our natural environment and resources.

Native animals This quarter Council’s fauna monitoring program focused on the Eastern Pygmy Possums, listed as vulnerable under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. Remote cameras were used at three sites in the Ku-ring-gai Creek catchment and three sites in the Middle Harbour catchment. Pygmy Possums were recorded in both, which is the first sighting in the latter since 2004. In partnership with the Ku-ring-gai Bat Conservation Society, a flying-fox awareness night was also held this quarter, with attendees learning about the species, the flying-fox camp at Gordon and how Council is managing the camp. Attendees were also treated to a guided observation of the camp’s nightly fly-out.

Catchment management A tender was prepared for the installation of a gross pollutant trap (GPT) to treat stormwater runoff from Gordon town centre and Gordon train station before it enters Rocky Creek and Middle Harbour. The GPT will capture litter including food wrappers, cigarette butts and bottles, as well as oils, leaf litter and sediment. This will significantly reduce the volume of these pollutants entering Terrum-bine Reserve and flowing through to Rocky Creek and Middle Harbour, in turn improving the water quality and aquatic ecosystems both within the reserve and in downstream waterways.

Sports field management Sporting fields underwent the annual sporting changeover from summer sport to winter sport. Works undertaken to achieve this task were: • Covering of 23 synthetic cricket wickets. This was achieved by either covering with soil and turf or by installing a synthetic cover over the wicket. • Installation by crane and cherry-picker of 80 sets of sporting posts for soccer, rugby & AFL. • Marking out over 100 different sets of lines for winter sport. These included soccer, rugby union, rugby league, AFL, athletics & baseball.

Ku-ring-gai’s sportsfields underwent their annual preparation for winter sports

Matching funding partnerships during this quarter were with Gordon Women’s Cricket Club and North Shore Junior Cricket Association to upgrade the cricket pitch at Warrimoo Oval St Ives; with St Ives Football Club for a floodlighting upgrade at Warrimoo Oval; with Ku-ring-gai Cubs Junior Rugby League Club at Barra Brui Oval St Ives for cricket wicket covers; and with Ku-ring-gai Netball Association for protective fencing at Charles Bean Field, Lindfield and for shade structures and additional seating at Canoon Road Recreation Area. A design for the half basketball court at Regimental Park, Killara was completed and Council is awaiting approval from the land owner (Sydney Water) to proceed with construction. Preparation of a draft masterplan for Gordon Recreation Ground between Rosedale Road and Werona Avenue, Gordon commenced. Preliminary community consultation will be undertaken, followed by more in-depth consultation in preparation for the public exhibition of the draft masterplan.

Ku-ring-gai Council

Sustainability initiatives Council’s energy reduction program continues to progress with the procurement and installation of additional solar PV systems, energy efficient lighting and energy efficient air-conditioning systems. Council’s energy management program is also progressing with the installation of energy monitoring technology to identify savings from better programming of lighting, power and air-conditioning systems in Council buildings. In this quarter a 52 kW solar photovoltaic cell system was installed at Gordon Library. This system size is planned to reduce energy use by 70,000 Kw hours during the year. An LED lighting upgrade is also planned for all floors of the library, providing light level sensors to adjust levels to natural light. A 51 kW solar photovoltaic system was installed in the Operations Depot, and a 26Kw system was connected in the Operations administration building to complement the existing 20kW system. Council recently introduced a range of sustainable tea, coffee and serving ware to its procurement catalogue in keeping with the Sustainable Event Management Policy. Fair trade organic tea and coffee, recycled napkins, wooden stirrers and compostable plates, cups and cup sleeves will now be purchased for community and Council events and for operational use.

Environmental education For Earth Hour in March Council encouraged residents to go beyond the hour by switching off and recycling any second fridges or upright freezers through the Fridge Buyback program. This initiative saw close to 60 fridge collections over the month of March - the equivalent of switching off six Ku-ring-gai homes for good! Ku-ring-gai is already the best-performing council in NSW for recycling second fridges and upright freezers, with more than 2,900 fridges collected since 2006. Through Council’s Loving Living Ku-ring-gai program, several community workshops and events were delivered over the past quarter, attracting 230 participants These included building bushfire resilient homes; solar power and storage for homes; bush foods discovery bushwalk; disaster planning for petowners; introduction to cheese and yoghurt-making; cooking with bush foods and making a solitary bee habitat,. Council’s ‘500 Club’ event celebrated the more than 500 stingless native bee hives that have been distributed through Ku-ring-gai. The event, hosted by ABC Radio’s Simon Marnie, included experts who shared the latest advice on keeping native bees.

Cheese and yoghurt making classes are proving popular

This quarter Council completed the next phase of the Climate Wise Communities (CWC) program, funded by a grant through the Community Resilience Innovation Program administered by the Ministry of Police and Emergency Services. This phase of the program saw Council develop a tool for other councils to use in delivering their version of the CWC program. . Seven other councils participated in this project as well as the RFS, SES, Red Cross, NSW Department of Health, RSPCA and local community members. In addition, Council delivered a range of workshops and seminars targeted at those community sectors most vulnerable to extreme weather events, resulting in an increased capacity within the community to respond to the impacts of a changing climate. Council’s 734 Bushcare, Streetcare and Parkcare volunteers contributed over 3000 volunteer hours this quarter to bush regeneration to improve our natural environment. Council was also successful in obtaining a Green Army grant for further bush regeneration and environmental improvements throughout Kuring-gai.

Companion animals During this quarter the Council took advantage of a grant from the NSW Office of Local Government to install over 50 specialty dog themed and eye catching signs across Ku-ring-gai. This is part of an overall campaign to encourage responsible dog ownership in Ku-ring-gai. The signs provide quick, easy to read information, reminding dog owners of their obligations under the Companion Animal Act. Ku-ring-gai Council currently has 22 off leash dog parks used by 22,000 registered dogs. These areas are a great way to exercise and socialise dogs which can help reduce behavioural problems. The messages on the signs included “Dogs must be on leash” and “Please remember to pick up your dog’s poo”. Some leash free areas also received a dog waste bag dispenser and brochure holders for information leaflets about companion animals.

Keen residents listen to bee-keeping experts at a free seminar in March 6

A snapshot of our achievements

| January - March 2016

Planning was underway during this quarter for the Dogs Day Out event at St Ives Showground on Sunday 10 April.

A SNAPSHOT OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

THEME 3 P L A C ES , S PA C ES & I N F R A S T R U C T U R E A range of well planned, clean and safe neighbourho ods and public spaces designed with a strong sense of identity and place.

Development Control Plan review

Development & compliance

Ku-ring-gai’s Principal DCP and Local Centres DCP have been updated and refined to bring them in line with planning policy and legislation. Further to this, both DCPs have been aligned in preparation to become one document by combining the existing Ku-ring-gai Local Environmental Plan 2015 and Kuring-gai Local Environmental Plan (Local Centres) 2012. Both DCPs adopt an approach aimed at achieving a high quality built environment and community spaces.

212 applications were finalised between January and March 2016 with a median determination time of 75 days. This is an increase compared to the previous quarter but below the performance target of 80 days. A significant number of complex DAs were finalised which contributed to the increased median determination time. There was a slight reduction in the number of undetermined applications compared with the previous quarter (320 vs. 313) which is attributable to a concerted effort after the Christmas holidays to reduce the number of outstanding applications. Since July 2015, 580 applications have been determined and Council’s pre-DA service is also proving to be very popular with 96 applications processed and another 56 under assessment.

An indirect development contributions plan came into effect at the end of March after being adopted by Council late last year. Indirect contributions are levied as a percentage upon new developments built in council areas above a certain value. The contributions pay for community infrastructure to take account of increased demand. The plan will seek to bridge the gap between the cost of providing smaller scale local infrastructure and the value of developments in Ku-ring-gai. Indirect contributions will complement the main contributions plan for work that would otherwise be unfunded, such as improvements to local shopping centres, road intersections and upgrades to local parks.

Heritage In March Council resolved to proceed with the heritage listing of 38 new heritage items and one new heritage conservation area on Bobbin Head Road. These draft heritage items and draft heritage conservation area will proceed to the Department of Planning and Environment to finalise and to gazette the amendment to the Ku-ring-gai Local Environmental Plan 2015. The addition of these heritage items and heritage conservation area to the LEP recognises their heritage significance and value to the local area. The Council’s annual grant funding for owners of heritage properties was opened for applications during this quarter. Property-owners are eligible for grants of up to $5000 to carry out maintenance and repair works on roofs, brickwork, ceilings and other heritage features. Applications close on 30 May 2016.

The Council’s GIS and property databases were updated as a result of 19 new registered plans at NSW Land & Property Information. This has created 17 new properties and 117 new residential units. A total of 937 Planning Certificates were issued during this period, of which 84.5% were lodged online. A communications campaign was focussed on the introduction on 29 April 2016 of state government legislation affecting the sale and lease of properties with a pool or spa. As of this date all properties with a swimming pool safety barrier must be inspected and certified before the property can be leased or sold.

Lindfield Community Hub During this quarter intensive work was completed on the proposal to the NSW Office of Local Government for a publicprivate-partnership (PPP) to construct the Lindfield Community Hub, located on the western side of the Lindfield Town Centre at an estimated construction cost of over $120 million. The 1.3 hectare site will be a new mixed use precinct with community buildings, boutique shops, cafes, restaurants, apartments and a below-ground supermarket. The redevelopment will create new streets, a large central park and town square, a new library and community centre as well as commuter parking.

Ku-ring-gai Council

The project will be delivered as a PPP to ensure that a high quality project is delivered that meets the expectations of residents and strives for best-practice environmental ratings, including systems for power, heating and cooling and rainwater harvesting.

At this stage it is planned to commence construction in early 2018 with the Lindfield Village Green opening to the public in early 2019.

Documents prepared for OLG approval include a risk management plan, probity plan and a business case. At this stage an expression of interest process will commence in August 2016 and conclude with a report to Council in December 2016, pending OLG approval.

259-271 Pacific Highway Lindfield (Lindfield Library)

During this quarter Council was also in negotiations with TfNSW for funding of 140 commuter car parking spaces to be located within the basement level of the proposed community hub building.

During the period Council began seeking comment from the community on a planning proposal to rezone Council land at 259-271 Pacific Highway Lindfield and reclassify the land from Community Land to Operational Land.

Lindfield Village Green

The reclassification would enable the redevelopment of the site in accordance with Council’s adopted master plan. The public exhibition commenced on 24 March and closes 2 May.

Lindfield Village Green will be an open green space for social and recreational use, located in Council’s Tryon Road car park on the eastern side of Lindfield behind the Lindfield Avenue shops. Most of the existing car spaces will be relocated underground and the new Village Green will be built on top. Lindfield Village Green will include public open space, underground public car parking, a pavilion for leasing as a café or restaurant with public seating, toilets and a lift to the parking below. The development will be designed to meet the highest standards of design excellence and sustainability. During this period negotiations continued with TfNSW for funding of commuter car parking spaces. If these negotiations are successful the car park will contain approximately 20 spaces at ground level, 80 spaces at B1 Level and approximately 100 public commuter spaces on a second basement B2 Level. The preferred design concept was further developed and refined, taking into account community feedback as well as project objectives and scope, functionality and budget. Council will be presented with the final design in June 2016, with a view to preparing and submitting a development application in late 2016.

Artist impression Turramurra Town Centre 8

Council is also embarking on an engagement program with local businesses and property owners to identify current needs and issues.

A snapshot of our achievements

| January - March 2016

Turramurra Community Hub On 8 December 2015 Council resolved to publicly exhibit the master plan for the Turramurra Community Hub. During the January-March quarter refinements to the master plan were made with a view to publicly exhibiting the plan between April and May 2016. The exhibition process will include wide ranging community consultation to ensure that all the community can have a say about the future of Turramurra. Council will be seeking feedback on a number of aspects of the master plan including ► Open space ►Location of community hub building; ►Traffic options; ►Other opportunities ►The overall Master Plan In addition Council will be seeking feedback on the following supporting studies: the Turramurra Community Facilities Study; the Turramurra Community Services Study; and the Turramurra Local Centre Traffic Study.

A Planning Proposal will be concurrently exhibited. The planning proposal seeks to make the following amendments to the Ku-ring-gai Local Environmental Plan (Local Centres) 2012:

replaced with a new skate park and bowl. The draft design was open for public comment between Friday 1 April and Thursday 28 April 2016.

■ Reclassification of Council owned land at 5 Ray Street, 12 William Street and 1275 Pacific Highway from “community” to “operational”

St Ives Tourism Precinct

■ Rezoning of part of 5 Ray Street, the adjoining William Street road reserve and 1275 Pacific Highway from RE1 Public Recreation to B2 Local Centre ■ Amending the Floor Space Ratio applying to 5 Ray Street and the William Street Road Reserve to 1.8 : 1 and 1275 Pacific Highway to 2.5 : 1 ■ Amending the height applying to 5 Ray Street and the William Street Road Reserve to 17.5m and 1275 Pacific Highway to 14.5m.

North Turramurra Recreation Area Planning was underway during this quarter for a Weekend of Golf in April, aimed at reintroducing the general public to the new 18-hole golf course. The redeveloped course includes new practice putting greens, chipping greens and practice tees. The current golf professional has relocated to a temporary pro-shop near the new practice putting and chipping areas. A video promoting the new course was produced and hosted on the Council’s website. New directional signage and flags were installed on all holes. Construction of the new cricket pitch and three new multipurpose sportsfields is well underway and completion is anticipated by mid 2016.

Bicentennial Park West Pymble The main car park area accessible parking, bus bay, bollards, gardens and access path to the amenities and Ku-ring-gai Fitness and Aquatic Centre have been completed. Other park infrastructure including fencing, seats, pathways and gardens will be upgraded during 2016.

St Ives Village Green Recreation Precinct During this period community consultation including public exhibition of a draft concept design has been prepared for the new recreation precinct next to the Village Green. This follows Council’s adoption of a Landscape Master Plan for St Ives Village Green which recommends that the existing playground be relocated and upgraded and the existing skate park be

Expressions of interest were sought during February from catering companies, function centre operators and tourism experts to help make the St Ives Showground and Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden a premier visitor destination. It follows a recent boost in visitor numbers to the area and the Council’s decision last year to declare the St Ives Showground, Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden and surrounds an important recreation and tourism precinct. Since 2013, the St Ives Showground and Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden have seen a 60% increase in visitor numbers. During this period a modified concept design and cost estimate was prepared for the Visitors / Education Centre at the Kuring-gai Wildflower Garden. The cost estimates for the original preferred concept design exceeded the budget available and hence a modified design is needed for the project to proceed. Council will be presented with a modified design by mid-year for a decision on whether to proceed with the project. A total of 40 directional totems have been constructed and installed through bushland in the Wildflower Garden. The signs contain a map and directional arrows to assist visitors to navigate through the extensive bushland and a QR code which will direct the visitor back to Council’s website to hear birdcalls of 14 birds which exist in the area.

Koola Park Killara Council is currently in the middle a major upgrade of facilities at the park in Koola Avenue in East Killara. The works are part of planned improvements for the park outlined in the Koola Park Landscape Masterplan as adopted by Council. The first stage of the work involving installation of a stormwater harvesting system, sewer connection to the western amenities, and four new cricket nets has been completed. Further stages of the work now underway and expected to be finished by late 2016 are: ■ Expanding existing three sportsfields to add an additional fourth field ■ Additional car parking including a drop-off area ■ Field floodlighting ■ Landscaping and improved fencing ■ A shared pathway around the perimeter of the park for cyclists and pedestrians, with outdoor exercise equipment stations.

Planning was underway for the Weekend of Golf in April at North Turramurra Ku-ring-gai Council

Earthworks and turfing have been completed at Koola Park but as the grass was sown after Christmas more growth of the root system is required before the fields can be opened.

Cameron Park Turramurra Construction has started on the extension of the park. Features include open sunny grass areas, shade trees, water-wise gardens and a multipurpose paved area with outdoor table tennis and picnic facilities. The park’s popular play facilities, sculpture and bicycle path will also be upgraded. Works are expected to be complete by September 2016.

Carcoola Reserve St Ives (Lapwing Reserve) Following the purchase of two parcels of land from the NSW Government in Carcoola Road St Ives using Section 94 development contributions, Council has now finalised the design and appointed a contractor for the new park. Construction is planned to commence around the middle of this year.

New park in Duff Street Turramurra Following the purchase of fourth and final parcel of land in Duff Street and Allan Avenue Turramurra using Section 94 development contributions, a new park will be created. Property demolitions will be carried out in late 2016 and construction will commence in 2017.

Wahroonga Park The new toilet block in Wahroonga Park was completed and opened to the public in early April. The new block contains a family room and disabled toilet, with an accessible pathway leading to the building from the park. Overall nearly $1 million has been spent on the park upgrade. This includes $468,000 on the toilet block, landscaping and accessible pathways and $500,000 on the playground upgrade completed last year.

Playgrounds Preparation of Council’s draft Playground Strategy to guide the location, size and design of Council’s playgrounds is currently in progress. It is anticipated that the draft strategy will be presented to Council for public exhibition around the middle of this year. Designs were completed and adopted by Council for playground upgrades at Golden Jubilee Field Wahroonga, Lofberg Road Playground, Bicentennial Park West Pymble and Park Avenue Playground next to East Roseville Community Centre. Construction for all three playgrounds will take place during 2016. Designs were also prepared for playground upgrades at Killara Park, Golden Grove Playground, Bicentennial Park West Pymble, and St Ives Showground Regional Playground.

Canoon Road netball courts The Plan of Management for the recreation area was adopted by Council in December 2015. Design and construction for the swapping of existing car parks with the four existing netball courts (court numbers 13-16) will commence later this year. The main car park area will also be formalised along the edges to create a small number of additional parking spaces and drainage improvements to protect adjoining bushland.

Work will begin later this year on the upgrade to netball courts 10

A snapshot of our achievements

| January - March 2016

A new toilet block was completed to complement the park's heritage character.

Revitalising local centres

Flood management

Stakeholder consultation has been completed at Babbage Road Shops, Roseville Chase, based on draft designs for the revitalisation of the streetscape. Following community consultation, concept designs for the upgrading of The Mall Shops at Warrimoo Avenue St Ives Chase were approved by Council, with construction starting later this year.

Through grant funding and in collaboration with the Flood Risk Management Committee, the draft Lovers Jump Creek Catchment Flood Study was completed and placed on public exhibition. Council was also successful in obtaining grant funding from the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) to support the next phase of its floodplain risk management process, namely the development of a Flood Risk Management Study and Plan for Blackbutt Creek.

Other upgrades During this quarter Howson Oval was returfed but it may need further root growth before opening. Turramurra Memorial Park is now open for use and being well utilised by the community. Following new fencing installed by Railcorp at Turramurra Station in Rohini Street, a community group approached Council to request improvements to amenities on public land near the station. After some minor landscaping and gardening work, three seats and a litter bin were installed. Council staff were able to undertake this work at minimal cost by using recycled materials including the stone, seats and the litter bin.

Graffiti management As of 5 April 2016, Council completed 221 graffiti removal requests totalling on average 587 hours at a cost of $30, 251.

Food safety During this quarter the program of inspection of all premises used for the preparation and sale of food was completed. In early March two local bakeries and a seafood shop were issued with prohibition orders. This resulted in their closure for several days while extensive cleaning took place and food handling practices were reviewed. Fines in excess of $2000 for each business were issued, and all three premises have been listed on the NSW Food Authority ‘Name & Shame’ list.

Clothing bins Following Council’s adoption of the Ku-ring-gai Local Approvals Policy in late 2015, regulation of used clothing bins was underway. All recognised charities with used clothing bins in the area were contacted and invited to seek a permit for their continued use on Council land. Bins on Council land operated by individuals or private companies were impounded in-situ with a direction for the bin to be removed by end of April. Bins found to be operating without a permit will be removed and disposed of in future. New amenities at Turramurra Station in Rohini Street

Bushfire management Programmed maintenance of fire trails and fire breaks was completed according to the bushfire risk management plan. Additional works on firebreaks is being carried out to improve their condition including targeted weed removal. Several hazard reduction burns were carried out in the last quarter when weather conditions permitted. A community education workshop on bushfire resilience was held in February 2016. The Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Bush Fire Risk Management Plan was publicly exhibited this quarter. Ku-ring-gai residents were also invited to attend a series of free BBQ information sessions on the draft plan, which specifies how to minimise the risk of bush fires on life, property and the environment on all land in the Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai areas.

Community education is an important part of bushfire management

Ku-ring-gai Council

A SNAPSHOT OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

THEME 4 A C C ES S , T R A F F I C & T R A N S P O R T Access and connection to, from and within Ku-ring-gai provides safe, reliable and affordable public and private travel, transport and infrastructure. Cycling

Roads & footpaths

The It’s a Two Way Street education campaign took place during this quarter to counter a worrying trend in road rage incidents involving cyclists and inexperienced cyclists. Since the introduction of the campaign, new laws have been passed to create safer conditions for cyclists.

The following road construction work took place during the January-March quarter: Eastern Rd, Turramurra

3200m2

Dumaresq St, Gordon

5200m2

As of March this year, drivers will have to leave one metre space between their vehicle and any nearby cyclists, or one and a half metres if they are travelling at a speed exceeding 60 km/h.

Clipsham Ln, Gordon

350m2

St Johns Ln, Gordon

280m2

Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai are two of only three councils across Australia who participated in promoting the campaign which intensified during February with outdoor signage, social media posts and advertising.

Church Hill Ln, Gordon

430m2

Adelaide Ave, East Killara

2000m2

Lowther Park Ave, Warrawee

1200m2

Middle Harbour Rd, Roseville

3500m2

(Rohini St – Brentwood Ave)

$770,000 has been allocated for footpath construction in the 2015-2016 budget, up from $685,000 the previous financial year.

Beans Farm Road Gordon

The Council participated in the safe cycling campaign It’s a Two Way Street

Construction of the new link road between Dumaresq Street and McIntyre Street in Gordon is complete and the road opened to traffic and pedestrians in March. The new name for the road is Beans Farm Road which was approved by Council in October.

Turramurra local centre As part of the master planning process for Turramurra meetings are continuing with TfNSW regarding planning for commuter car parking and Sydney Trains regarding the rail corridor.

Lindfield local centre Investigations and discussions are continuing with Transport for NSW regarding the option of splitting the proposed 240 commuter parking spaces at Lindfield (Transport for NSW) across the Lindfield Community Hub site and the Lindfield Village Green site. New traffic signals at the intersection of Lindfield Avenue and Tryon Road are being included by consultants as part of the Lindfield Village Green concept plans. A new road link between Bent Street and Beaconsfield Parade is also included in the Lindfield Community Hub concept plans.

A snapshot of our achievements

| January - March 2016

A SNAPSHOT OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

THEME 5 LO C A L E C O N O M Y & E M P LO Y M E N T Creating economic employment opportunities through vital, attractive centres, business innovation and technology.

Small business events

Better Business Partnership

Approximately 60 local business professionals gathered at Roseville Golf Club in February to learn about using the Cloud. Keynote speaker Peter Moriarty, Cloud technology expert and founder of IT Genius Australia shared how the latest low/ no cost cloud applications and tools could be applied to local businesses to increase efficiency and connectivity. Event feedback was very positive – all those who completed feedback forms indicated they would return for future Ku-ring-gai Business Seminars.

The Better Business Partnership (BBP) program continues to provide a valuable sustainability advice service to small and medium businesses in Ku-ring-gai. Between January and March 2016 a total of 12 new Ku-ring-gai businesses became members of BBP, bringing total membership to 191. In this period 18 businesses were appraised for their energy, water and waste performance. In addition, 14 businesses received a waste audit through the Waste Saver Service, bringing the total to 58. This service has identified a potential diversion of 4,555,794 litres (1035 tonnes) of annual waste from landfill.

Ku-ring-gai Council’s first business forum was held at CSIRO Lindfield on 31 March. Nearly 100 people attended the event, joining local state and federal politicians, representatives the Office of the NSW Small Business Commissioner, NSW Business Chamber, other local business chambers and CSIRO to hear about the federal government’s ‘Innovation and Ideas boom’. Feedback from participants was very positive and planning is now underway for two small business workshops on innovation and accessing government grants, to be held in May.

Other business support During this quarter the Council became a member of the Small Business Friendly Councils program, set up in 2014 by the Office of the NSW Small Business Commissioner and NSW Business Chamber to assist Councils work with and support local businesses. Currently 70 metropolitan and rural Councils have joined the program, representing over 360,000 small businesses and more than 50 per cent of all small businesses in the state. Ku-ring-gai has pledged to join the program by: ■ Introducing six monthly business forums which will be measured though satisfaction of attendees and regular progress reports.

The free Business Forum on innovation attracted over 100 businesspeople During this quarter Ku-ring-gai became a Small Business Friendly Council

■ Introduction of a monthly e-news to communicate specific information of interest to local businesses. ■ Continuation of the existing schedule of breakfast seminars and evening networking events aiming to help local business connect with each other and learn collaboratively.

Digital services The last quarter has seen the implementation of Online Requests, which now allow residents to lodge a request online. We can currently take requests for waste, parking issues, blocked drains, potholes, animals and trees. Configuration has been completed on the final two planning certificates to be made available online, being 149D and 88G. These will be available via the Council website in the coming months. Ku-ring-gai Council

A SNAPSHOT OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

THEME 6 LEADERSHIP & GOVERNANCE Ku-ring-gai is well led, managed and supported by ethical organisations which deliver projects and services to the community by listening, advocating and responding to their needs. Fit for the Future

Organisational values

Following the state government announcement in December 2016 that Ku-ring-gai was to be merged with Hornsby pending a public inquiry and boundary review, work was underway during this quarter on the Council’s submission to the inquiry. The inquiry was conducted by the Delegate appointed by the state government, Garry West.

Since the official launch last year, staff have been given materials and resources to help integrate the new values into the way they work. The values are now prominently displayed around common staff areas and on every PC. Directors, managers and supervisors are actively discussing the new values with their staff and ways they can be incorporated into their daily work.

The Council also conducted a communications campaign to encourage residents to submit feedback on the merger proposal and attend the public inquiry. The overwhelming majority of those attending and speaking at the inquiry held in February were against the proposal.

MERGER PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

During this quarter the Council also commenced legal action in the Supreme Court to obtain a full copy of the KPMG report, upon which the government’s argument for forced mergers is based.

Professional development for staff A Learning Management System (LMS) that will complement and support the performance culture at Ku-ring-gai is being implemented. The new LMS will enable the development of personalised learning plans, the delivery of eLearning courses, enable policy acknowledgements and the creation of assessments and surveys. Courses will be available for employee self-selection with a search facility and access to a range of eLearning courses, with improved reporting practices for management and supervisors.

Volunteer management To acknowledge the efforts of volunteers and to entice new volunteers, a free movie was held in February. Almost 200 volunteers and their friends attended the movie and supper.

KU-RING-GAI COUNCIL’S SUBMISSION TO THE COUNCIL BOUNDARY REVIEW NSW

MERGER PROPOSAL Ku-ring-gai Council & Hornsby Shire Council (part) FEBRUARY 28, 2016

Our merger proposal submission document 14

A snapshot of our achievements

| January - March 2016

Between January and March, over 80 enquiries were received from potential volunteers, the majority of whom have been referred to local organisations that provide home support to elderly residents, such as Meals on Wheels, Easy Care Gardening and Ku-ring-gai Neighbourhood Centre. In March, training workshops “Assisting older members of the community” and “Understanding the professional boundaries in the volunteer/client relationship” were held. Participant feedback was positive and more training sessions are planned for May and June. A policy and associated volunteer management procedure was developed in consultation with various areas within Council. The process was trialled across a number of volunteer programs. Following additional feedback the procedure will be finalised and implemented.

Integrated planning & reporting

Risk management

The bi-annual review of our Delivery Program and Operational Plan 2015-2016 was reported to Council in February 2016. The six monthly progress report highlighted Council’s achievements for the period July – December 2015. At the end of the six month period;

An analysis was undertaken of the Council’s current Risk Management Framework which identified a number of gaps. A review is currently being undertaken to simplify the framework for Council’s multiple risk management obligations.

■ 251 tasks have been completed, 87% (218) of the tasks were progressing in accordance with agreed timeframes 4% (10) of the tasks were behind schedule but anticipated to be on time in the next reporting period; and 4% (10) of the tasks have significant issues affecting their delivery in this financial year; ■ Of the 124 critical actions were completed for the current year, 89% (110) were on track 5% (6) have been delayed but will be back on track in the next reporting period and 4% (5) were identified with more significant delays in the reporting period. Work continued on developing an Enterprise Asset Management system which will integrate the capital works reporting system with asset management, budgets and finance reporting.

Work Health & Safety A review of Council’s Work Health Safety system is currently underway to ensure compliance with the Work Health Safety Act and professional standards. This review will involve the migration of hard copy data to an electronic format, accessible by workers in the field through smart devices. This will ensure information is available when and where required and will allow the online of checklists and forms when tasks are undertaken. The Council’s Safety Officer is now based 3 days a week at the Depot with additional safe work training sessions to commence in April. The induction program has been reviewed and updated for new staff.

A review of work health and safety practices is underway Ku-ring-gai Council

A snapshot of our achievements

| January - March 2016

St Ives Showground photo by Stan Simpson Ku-ring-gai Council

Ku-ring-gai Council 818 Pacific Highway, Gordon NSW 2072 Locked Bag 1006, Gordon NSW 2072 P 02 9424 0000 F 02 9424 0001 E kmc@kmc.nsw.gov.au www.kmc.nsw.gov.au