MESSAGE FROM MAYOR AND MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR GENERAL MANAGER AND GENERAL MANAGER We are pleased to present this edition of On the Move, capturing the activities of Council in delivering the 201822 (revised) Delivery Program for the period 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Delivering infrastructure Listening to young people and delivering what they want to see in spaces designed for them has been a priority during this period. We held two significant engagement events to get feedback from our local young people – the first to gather ideas to inform the concept plan for the Harold Gregson Youth Space, and the second to inform the redesign of Woodberry Skatepark. Our sporting facilities are also going to receive significant upgrades, with $560,000 of a $1.1 million NSW Government grant through the Stronger Country Communities Fund heading towards amenities upgrades at Cooks Square Park in East Maitland and a further $400,000 to Maitland Park to provide facilities that are better equipped to accommodate and encourage women in sport to participate and thrive. We will also see a range of upgrades and site improvements at the Lochinvar Sports Complex, after securing $306,862 in funding from the Round 8 Resources for Regions grant program. The funding includes installing seating adjacent to the sportsground and constructing a new footpath to improve accessibility to the spectator seating from the amenities and roadside parking areas. Refer to page 6 for details. Community programs and events Our community came together with Council and the Newcastle based community youth organisation, UP&UP, to bring a bright and engaging design to the rebound wall at Norm Chapman Oval in Rutherford. We supported families in need over Christmas with the facilitation and delivery of 400 Christmas hampers through the ever growing Food Assistance Network. Maitland Regional Art Gallery celebrated winning two awards at the Museums & Galleries of NSW Imagine Awards, as well as the securing of two NSW government grants to boost free programs at the gallery. Refer to pages 7 and 8 for details. Heritage and environmental programs Maitland’s heritage will further be conserved and promoted through four heritage projects that have secured state government funding to take place over the next two years.
Philip Penfold Mayor
4 Maitland City Council
David Evans PSM General Manager
The ever popular recycling event, the Mattress Muster saw 1,620 mattresses diverted from landfill and the Bolwarra Community Planting Day saw over 40 volunteers come together to plant 380 natives behind the tennis courts at John Wilkinson Sporting Complex. Our community will have more opportunities to get involved with environmental programs through local Landcare groups following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Council and the Hunter Region Landcare Network. Refer to pages 8 and 9 for details. Supporting our local economy We saw a huge program of family friendly events over the summer, including existing favourites such as the Dive in Cinema at East Maitland Aquatics Centre, and inaugural events like the River Regatta that proved to be a hit with the community. The plans and vision for Maitland Gaol to become a hero tourism destination for Maitland and the region is one step closer, with the announcement of $10m in shared State and Federal funding to go toward the site. Venues right across the City hosted a range of craft beer focused activities and events for Twisted Beer Week, supporting them to bounce back after being hit hard by recent lockdowns. Refer to page 10 and 11 for details. Community leadership Following the December local government elections, we welcomed our new Mayor, Cr Philip Penfold, and three new councillors, Cr Kristy Ferguson, Cr Stephanie Fisher, and Cr Bill Hackney. We celebrated Maitland’s 2021 Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year, Melita Chilcott and Montana Duggan and 20 people that became Australian citizens as part of Maitland’s official Australia Day ceremony. Refer to page 12 for details. We hope you find this update informative.
