SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE

STRATHBOGIE SHIRE COUNCIL GREENING EUROA STEERING COMMITTEE Greening Euroa Project

The Greening Euroa Project is an innovative, community-driven initiative that seeks to have recycled water used irrigate public green spaces during the summer months – an imperative for the health and wellbeing of a community prone to drought.

It was in 2020, while the Euroa community was being ravished by years of prolonged drought, that pressure on the town’s drinking water became so strained that the local water authority had to impose stage three water restrictions over the township.

While the Sevens Creek was drying up and bore water was unreliable, water usage in Euroa remained high even though adherence to water restrictions was strong. It was discovered that Council facilities like sporting fields were using potable water when the non-potable supply dried up.

Water began being trucked in for irrigation of sporting fields and parkland to maintain green open spaces while reducing demand on the potable system. It was from this experience that the Greening Euroa Project evolved.

Now in the third year of our corporate strategy Future

Ready Frankston, we are seeing clear improvements in our key areas of:

Culture: Living our values, developing our leaders and exhibiting positive workplace behaviours

Capability: Supporting skills development, fostering innovation and strengthening mindsets

Connectivity: Seamlessly integrating our systems, workflows and communication

Customer: Focusing on our customers, their engagements and their platforms

As a result, we have been short listed for yet more innovation awards at this year’s LG Pro Awards for Excellence, for both an individual staff member and team.

The project has sought to tap into excess water from the Euroa Waste Water Treatment Plant to deliver recycled water into tanks across Euroa to irrigate schools, sporting grounds, and public ovals in a first-of-its-kind initiative that is climate-smart, cost-efficient, and community-inspired.

Vibrant, adaptive, proud

Community satisfaction has jumped up from 59 per cent (2020) to 2022 (71 per cent) as well as staff engagement by a huge 20 per cent in last two years.

Our transformative projects have recently included a new transparency hub, smart cities infrastructure and initiatives such as smart parking and digital wayfinding and a customer service strategy focusing on foundation, integration and innovation.

The Transparency Hub is one of only a few in Australia and provides an overview of Frankston City Council’s decisionmaking and activities. It includes detailed financial records from Council, stakeholders, asset management data (Frankston’s Capital Works Program), procurement data (>$200,000) and more.

As a designated Metropolitan Activity Centre, Frankston City is on the brink of major change and growth. Our already vibrant, thriving City is fulfilling its potential as a major hub for investment and development, with innovation and people at the forefront of our future.

If you are keen to learn about the opportunities at Frankston City Council please visit: frankston.vic.gov.au

This award acknowledges recognisable achievements of people up to 30 years of age working in Local Government.

• Major achievements of the nominee

• Demonstrated leadership qualities

• Level of commitment to driving change

• Specific individual contribution made to Council and/or sector

• Commitment to self-development

• Elena Spanos Principal Strategic Planner, Revitalisation City of Casey

• Chrissy Athanasopoulos Coordinator Continuous Improvement Frankston City Council

• Dominique Foenander Manager Governance

Baw Baw Shire Council

• Rebecca Botheras Projects Coordinator

Yarriambiack Shire Council