Mosman News - May 2010 by Mosman Council

Volume 4 Issue 2

May 2010

Mosman Bay Creek Rehabilitation Project Tenders are currently being assessed for the restoration of one of Mosman’s hidden gems – Mosman Bay Creek (below Oswald Street). $500,000 will be invested in necessary stabilisation of the creek floor, erosion control and reinstatement of riparian vegetation to address the adverse effects caused by uncontrolled stormwater from the surrounding area. Works are expected to commence in June.

Next e-waste collection coming to your door Council will be providing a kerbside e-waste collection service for all Mosman households at the end of May 2010. Place your e-waste for recycling at the kerbside directly outside your property, on your scheduled waste bin collection day in the week commencing 31 May and ending 4 June 2010. Council will pick up these items and they will be taken to a recycling facility. Items accepted for recycling include: TV, printer, scanner, DVD/VHS player, modem or gaming machines.

Bicycles for Democracy

Strictly no other items will be collected including: broken or cracked computer monitors or TV screens.

It was smiles all around as female councillors in Cambodia celebrated new bicycles provided through the Bicycles for Democracy initiative.

For your own safety and privacy please ensure you delete all data from your computer hard-drive before placing on the kerb.

The Mayor, Councillor Anne Connon, contributed the cost of two bicycles from her discretionary fund to assist elected women in Cambodia in travelling around their rural constituencies.

For more information, please call Mosman Council’s Waste Information Line, phone 9978 4076 or visit www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/residents/waste

www.mosman.nsw.gov.au

Mosman News

At a recent Safety Consultative Group meeting Acting Inspector Chris Patrech from Harbourside Local Area Command gave a brief overview of current areas of concern, including traffic matters, theft and malicious damage. The overview highlighted that approximately 6% of crime reported for the current quarter was theft, of which almost half related to theft from motor vehicles. Approx-imately 5% of crime for the same period related to malicious damage, including to property, motor vehicles, and graffiti.

Crime watch

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Balmoral Park Creek Rehabilitation Project

Resident members raised a number of incidents of malicious damage and anti-social behaviour, particularly around Clifton Gardens, Chinaman’s Beach, and Balmoral. A/Inspector Patrech emphasised the need for residents to report all incidents as soon as possible as the police were often frustrated when later informed of numerous incidents where there was no record of them ever having been reported. Community awareness and reporting is important. Please call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 to report incidents such as those above.

Securing Habitat, Improving Safety Residents would have noted that there have now been considerable improvements to the Zoo visitor parking along Bradleys Head Road near the convention centre. These drainage and road improvement works have secured the habitat of the Red Crowned Toadlet – found on the slopes of Sydney Harbour National Park adjoining the roadway.

Work has commenced on creek rehabilitation at the rear of Balmoral Oval. The creekline will be formed, stabilised and armoured with rocks to address overflow issues affecting the adjoining playing fields. In addition, areas of contaminated soil will be capped and bush regeneration works done over the whole site. Works should be completed by the end of June dependent on validation requirements relating to the contamination-related works. This work will conclude Council’s detailed investigation and very costly site remediation of the waste dump formerly in this location.

Seniors Connected Free

Limited funds have meant that in the past neither the National Park nor the Council has been able to undertake specific projects to restore the habitat of this endangered species, or to reduce impacts of stormwater runoff into bushland. The introduction of paid parking in the area by Council has underwritten the cost of the works. For some years concerns have also been expressed about safety issues associated with the illegal, informal parking in the bush areas – it has been an accident waiting to happen. The works at Bradleys Head Road have improved parking in the area and have alleviated safety issues. Council wanted to undertake the works in 2003 but they were delayed at the request of the Zoo until its new car parking station was completed and this opened late last year. Over $600,000 was invested by the Council in improving the situation and while some have suggested it is simply an income generating scheme, at minimum charge of $2 (maximum of $12) visitors are able to park all day in the area (the Zoo has a minimum charge of $15). Although the payback period for the works will be over the longer-term, the community and the environment will greatly benefit from these works now and in the future.

Trainer Aneva Borthwick and a student put the computer through its paces.

The Mosman Seniors’ Centre now has a Broadband for Seniors internet kiosk. The kiosk features two computers with broadband access for use by anyone over the age of 55 in our local community. Training is provided, so beginners are very welcome! Broadband for Seniors is part of a $15M Federal Government initiative to increase the skills of older Australians using computers and the internet. The new internet kiosk offers the opportunity for older people to discover how the web can play a great part in helping them stay in touch with friends and family, along with offering access to the wealth of information available online and the ability to interact in new ways.

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2010/11 Budget Overview

Major Mosman Mosaic

MOSPLAN 2010/2011 and our Budget are expected to be adopted by Council in early June.

Over the past year many local community members have joined together to design and create a beautiful community mosaic mural comprised of valued aspects and iconic images from Mosman. If you would like to experience being a part of a large community arts project and contribute to this amazing venture on Wednesdays from 10.30am until 4.30pm, please contact Esther Jansen at the Mosman Youth Development Centre, phone 9978 4013 or email e.jansen@mosman.nsw.gov.au

A snapshot of the key expenditure components sees the 2.6% rate increase put to good use: General Fund Capital Funding of $4.6M which includes the following: § § § § § § § § § § §

Balmoral Baths Amenities Upgrade Balmoral Tram Shed Amenities Block Balmoral Tram Shed Refurbishment Clifton Gardens Amenities Rosherville Amenities Balmoral Rotunda Restoration Works Balmoral Water Reuse Project Solar Power Projects Concrete Roads (Lower Almora & Illawarra Street) Asphalt Roads (Cowles Road, Awaba Street) Footpaths

$300K $450K $100K $500K $400K $125K $500K $300K $272K $281K $313K

Open Space Contracts include the following allocations: § Parks and Gardens Maintenance § Grass Cutting § Sporting Fields Upkeep § Bushland Restoration/Maintenance § Tree Management § Beach & Reserves Cleaning § Street & Gutter Cleaning § Graffiti Cleaning § Community Environmental Contract includes: Reginald & Brierley Sts SQID Pearl Bay SQID § Completion of Drill Hall Indoor Sports Complex § Infrastructure Levy Allocation (footpaths, roads, drainage etc)

$192K $155K $344K $442K $208K $594K $1M $109K $590K $312K $200K $600K

Fabric Designs Unwrapped The Mosman Art Gallery is looking for people who may remember Annan Fabrics in Mosman and who may even still have an example of their home furnishing designs for the upcoming exhibition Australian Accent: The Designs of Annan Fabrics and Vande Pottery in '40s and '50s. From their Vista Street studio, Nance McKenzie and Anne Outlaw built an international and domestic following for their bold and decorative screen print designs featuring kangaroo hunts, emu tracks, strelitzia's, banana fronds, lyrebirds and rock carvings. Please contact Julie Peterson at the Mosman Art Gallery on 9978 4186.

$842K

Council’s excellent Community Services programs will be maintained and in some areas enhanced. The recurrent Budget continues to provide funding assistance to a number of community based organisations. The average residential rate will increase by $30 to $1,120 per annum with the standard 80L bin collection being increased by 3% to $270 per annum. The garbage service includes the blue and yellow bin recyclables, green waste and a new twice yearly e-waste kerbside collection. The General Fund Budget for next year will have $290K deficit with General Manager Viv May confirming that it was a ‘one off’ and related to the taking up of loans to fund the new foreshore amenities buildings – with the servicing of repayments coming from paid parking.

Men’s Shed

New Council Director Appointed Diane Lawrence, formerly Director of Policy and Strategy, Warringah Council, has recently been appointed to the position of Director Community Development and will commence on 31 May. M/s Lawrence will lead our community services, cultural and library team and will take responsibility for community engagement processes, and the continuing development of the Council's integrated plan MOSPLAN. Di has worked in Local Government for over 26 years and while her previous positions have been mainly in the policy and governance areas, has had a strong exposure to community development issues. She holds a Bachelor of Business majoring in Local Government, and Law degrees. We look forward to welcoming Di to the Mosman team.

Pictured from left: Cr Denise Wilton, Mayor of Mosman Cr Anne Connon, Margaret Berriman and Glen Harrington of the Lions Club of Mosman and Anthony Megat of the North Sydney Men’s Shed.

The Mayor recently accepted a generous $30,000 cheque from the Lions Club of Mosman that will go towards the establishment of a Men’s Shed at Georges Heights. Council has contributed $50,000 and is working with the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust on the project. The Men’s Shed will be a place for retired men in the community to find mateship, support and social interaction, to pursue hobbies and develop new ideas and projects.

For a great way to stay informed and get involved take a look at our online spaces, some are listed here.

flickr.com/photos/mosmancouncil share your photos - join our Festival and Eco-Living groups

Mosman Readers

mosmanreaders.net read books? got an opinion?

mosmanmemories.net

tell your story – we’re writing a social history of Mosman

Future plans for Mosman Festival Planning has commenced on updating the Mosman Festival format into an expanded art/culture event for 2011. Mosman Festival events will not be held in 2010 (with the exception of Pet’s Day Out and the Children’s Fair). These changes provide Council with an opportunity to work in conjunction with Tourism NSW to create and market a unique and vital event with particular relevance to the Mosman community and with greater benefits to the local economy. Please see future editions of Mosman News for more information.

Snell Street honours its past The small section of roadway between Military Road and Melrose Street, formerly known as Lang Street South, has been renamed Snell Street. A number of submissions were received by Council when it gave notice of its intention to rename the street, with Council opting to recognise the late Harry Snell, a resident of this section of the street for 50 years. Harry was a noted sportsman, involved in local organisations and a Mosman Council employee.

Mosman shows a caring side Since the inception of the Mosman Carers Group more than 144 carers of people with dementia, chronic illness or a disability have attended the weekly support groups. The group meets every Wednesday morning at 10am in the Harnett Room at Council. We provide informative guest speakers, support, and time out in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. For more information ring Liz Nagel on 9978 4089.

Get involved in your community! There are many ways to be involved in your community and your Council, to contribute to the planning and development of services and to have your say about issues that are important to you. Council has established four Consultative Groups: the Mosman Community – Access for All Consultative Group; the Art Gallery Consultative Group; the Community Safety Group and the Mosman Sustainability Group. These groups generally meet 3 times per year – meetings are advertised in the Mosman Daily and on Council’s website www.mosman.nsw.gov.au. They are open to all, so come along and have your say. Other less formal groups facilitated by Council include the Friends of the Gallery and various volunteer groups. You can also contribute online by visiting the ‘Your Say’ section of Council’s website www.mosman.nsw.gov.au For more information on Consultative Groups contact Jill Cuthbert on 9978 4014 or j.cuthbert@mosman.nsw.gov.au

Council contacts Mosman Municipal Council Civic Centre, Mosman Square Mosman NSW 2088

General Inquiries tel 9978 4000 fax 9978 4132 email council@mosman.nsw.gov.au web www.mosman.nsw.gov.au

join us for a special evening th e

ADDRESS

2010 Giving & Community presented by

Neil Balnaves AO Neil Balnaves, AO will be the guest speaker for this year’s Mosman Address, an annual dinner function presented by the Mosman Public Art Trust. The purpose of the Address is to raise funds for the Mosman Public Art Trust which promotes the visual arts and crafts, particularly public art within Mosman. The Mosman Address is an annual event that has been running since 1999 and has seen many varied and interesting guest speakers over the years. Mr Balnaves was recently named a Companion of the Order of Australia for his support and philanthropy for the visual arts as well as his support for conservation, medical and research projects. The 2010 Mosman Address will be held on 18 June at Mosman Art Gallery & Community Centre. For further information contact Skye on 9978 4106.

Interested in art?

See what’s on at Mosman Art Gallery

mosmanartgallery.org.au

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