Works Achievements

made up of infrastructure, property, The program is focused on renewing levels or implementing new projects which the community. Here are some of the during the 2022/23 financial year.

Active Transport

Works to create two new Easy Ride bike routes were completed in June, the NS4 (Blackburn and Blackburn South) and NS6 (Blackburn, Blackburn North, Burwood East and Forest Hill). The Easy Ride network is made up of local streets and offroad paths to make cycling to work or the shops safe and comfortable. Council spent $86,000 on the two routes and has created seven routes since starting the program in May 2021.

▪ The Bushy Creek Trail upgrade was completed in December. It involved extending the shared user path up to the crossing of Woodhouse Grove, near Mitta Street in Box Hill North. This was completed over two financial years and funded by the Federal Government.

▪ Council invested $337,000 in installing pedestrian crossings in Prospect Street, Box Hill and Thames Street and Avon Street, Box Hill North.

Carparks

An $655,000 upgrade of the car park and construction of an Ephemeral Wetland was completed at Forest Hill Reserve. The works included:

▪ a new asphalt surface car park, along with new concrete kerb and channel, edge strip and paving.

▪ new underground drainage and landscaping improvements.

▪ construction of the wetland and concrete tiering for spectators.

Parks And Streetscapes

A new open space park was built at 14-16 Scott Grove in Burwood, which was funded by $300,000 State Government grant. Council purchased the land and funded demolition of the old homes in prior years. The reserve includes more than 50 small and canopy trees, local Indigenous plants, a picnic table and seating, fitness equipment, a playground and a nature play area.

▪ The upgraded Blackburn Lake Sanctuary boardwalk and viewing platform was completed in December 2022 for a cost of $393,000.

▪ Streetscape improvements were completed on Railway Road (between Queen Street and Albert Street) as part of the Blackburn Station Village upgrade. The project cost $198,000 and included a new nature strip, refurbished footpath and bench seats.

Major Projects

Sportlink redevelopment Completed

The $8.6m redevelopment of the Sportlink multipurpose facility in Vermont South was completed in March. This was partially funded by a $1.5m contribution from the Federal Government.

The redevelopment has converted the outdoor courts into a multi-use facility, with a new roof installed over them allowing play in all weather conditions. The upgrades allow for netball on all four courts and basketball on two of the courts, and other uses such as roller sports.

The Round

Expected completion: September 2023

Council’s $78m redevelopment of the former Whitehorse Centre is on track for project completion soon, with a grand opening of the new performing arts facility planned for mid-October. The Round will feature a 600+ seat auditorium, 200 seat studio theatre, creative rehearsal studios and an improved soundshell for outdoor events.

Morack Public Golf redevelopment

Expected completion: Late 2023/early 2024

The $12.1m Morack Public Golf redevelopment will soon boast new and rebuilt facilities to complement the existing 18-hole golf course. These will include a 28-bay driving range with cutting-edge Toptracer ball tracking technology, a rebuilt multipurpose pavilion and a brand new 18-hole mini golf course.

The views expressed are those of individual Councillors and do not necessarily reflect Council policy or the views of Council as a whole.

Cootamundra Ward

Andrew Munroe 0429 138 140 andrew.munroe@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Whitehorse City Council is divided into 11 single-councillor wards.

Our Councillors have been elected to serve until October 2024.

Council secures Vermont Recreation Reserve upgrade

Vermont Recreation Reserve will be revitalised after Council secured $750,000 from the State Government to progress a planned redevelopment.

Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence MP and Glen Waverley MP, John Mullahy visited the reserve on 4 July to announce the funding to the delight of Council and tenants, Vermont Eagles Football Club and the Vermont Cricket Club.

The key features of the redevelopment include a lighting upgrade and a redevelopment of the reserve’s pavilion to allow for more female-friendly facilities. The reserve’s ground surface and surrounding infrastructure will also be upgraded.

In addition to the State Government funding, Council has committed $131,000 to design the upgraded pavilion and $1.38 million for ground surface renewal works in our 2023/24 Budget.

Eley Ward

Trudy Skilbeck 0435 188 822 trudy.skilbeck@whitehorse.vic.gov. au

Lake Ward

Denise Massoud 0409 230 499 denise.massoud@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Elgar Ward Blair Barker 0459 857 280 blair.barker@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Mahoneys Ward Mark Lane – Mayor 0435 387 526 mark.lane@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Happy anniversary to our Samoan Community! Recently celebrating 61 years of independence from New Zealand.

Nunawading Scouts

In June I attended the opening of the refurbished 1st Nunawading Scout Hall.

Building works included a new kitchen, building improvements and most importantly for neighbours they had acoustic panelling installed. The 1st Nunawading Scouts is growing quickly and the new facilities will enable the scouts to include cooking activities. They also have installed an impressive system for drying tents.

In response to active advocacy by both residents and Council, Telstra decided to not install a 5G small cell tower at a sensitive location in Blackburn. This is a great outcome for the residents. The power of the people should never be underestimated when they are organised and have credible arguments to put forward.

As part of NAIDOC week I attended the Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place (MMIGP) Family Day. There were activities for children and adults plus Indigenous dancers and a choir. Separately, Whitehorse Theatre presented “The Sunshine Club” with a cast including emerging and established First Nations artists which challenged the audience with thought provoking theatre and vibrant music.

Happy 60th anniversary to Whitehorse Arts Association. What a tremendous achievement and what a fabulous exhibition to mark the occasion.

Congratulations to Nunawading Swimming Club on another fantastic season in the water and what an afternoon in celebration at the Box Hill Town Hall.

Representatives from Vermont Eagles and Vermont Cricket Club with (centre)

Glen Waverley MP John Mullahy, Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence MP and Deputy Mayor Cr Prue Cutts at the State Government funding announcement for Vermont Recreation Reserve. Picture: Wren Steiner.

As the winter sport season approaches its end, I hope all participants have enjoyed their competition and the friendships made. The new surface and drainage at Morton Park upper oval has certainly provided a great facility and stood up to the challenges of winter sport.

I recently was honoured to support the Nunawading Toy Library and help count in returned toys and to chat about the success of the library. It brought back some fond memories of when my kids where little and when we were involved in the Toy Library. Thank you Helen and the team.

About a month ago I caught up with Fire Rescue Victoria to discuss Whitehorse and the future relationship between us. We talked about the future developments around Box Hill and the importance of having the right appliances and the recent upgrade of the Box Hill Fire Station. The Round is looking great and will undoubtedly be one of the best performing arts centres in Melbourne. It is an exciting time for council to complete such a large project on time and on budget.

Kingsley Ward

Cr Amanda McNeill 0435 158 360 amanda.mcneill@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Sparks Ward

Cr Tina Liu 0418 121 357 tina.liu@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Suburban Rail Loop

Recently, the SRLA undertook community consultation for the Project’s proposed Box Hill Tram Terminus Urban Design and Landscape Plan (UDLP). Thank you to those who shared their comments/thoughts with me. I, and Council, will continue to assess and advocate for better connectivity, access and design, preserve and minimise any adverse impacts on our existing greenery / vegetation and areas of heritage significance, and ensure that landscaping and public spaces are further enhanced wherever possible.

Whitehorse Meals on Wheels

I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Whitehorse Meals on Wheels and welcoming the new serivce provider to Whtiehorse. This important service, based at Nunawading Community Hub, will continue to provide nourishing meals to older Whitehorse residents. The program aims to maintain and improve on the current model of service, supported by our local volunteers.

FOGO Tour

Ever wondered where your food and garden organic waste go once it has been collected? Council is offering free educational tours to Bio Gro’s organics recovery facility for Whitehorse residents. Myself and a number of Councillors had the pleasure of visiting the site last year. Hurry – These tours are incredibly popular and places are limited! For more information, or email: green@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Other Highlights

It was a pleasure attending a number of celebratory events, including Whitehorse Arts Association 60th Anniversary Art Show and Surrey Park Swimming Club’s Annual Presentation Night – warm congratulations and well done to all involved!

Walker Ward

Cr Ben Stennett 0448 375 937 ben.stennett@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Wattle Ward

Cr Andrew Davenport 0407 652 145 andrew.davenport@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Friends of Gardiners Creek Reserve and Urban Guerrillas

I was pleased to assist with the Friends of Gardiners Creek Reserve and Urban Guerrillas planting event on 2 July 2023 to assist in transforming an area of Gardiners Creek Reserve (near Kilsyth Avenue). This is a community-led project funded through a grant received by the KooyongKoot Alliance from the Suburban Rail Loop Authority Community Projects Fund and supported by Council. The next planting is on 6th August, please register via bit.ly/3JZHVPh if you are interested in attending.

National Tree Day

Whitehorse Council

Participates in National Tree Day, coordinated by Planet Ark. National Tree Day is on 30 July 2023; please keep an eye on www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/events/ national-tree-day-2023 for more details.

Whitehorse Business Group Awards 2023

The Whitehorse Excellence in Business Awards nominations are open until 23 August 2023. If you know of a small/ medium/large enterprise or community group that’s worthy of recognition, please consider nominating them for an award. See www.whitehorsebusinessgroup.com.au/ about-the-business-awards

Whitehorse Sports and Recreation Awards 2023 www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/ sport-award-nomination

Nominations are open until 15 August 2023, which covers a number of team and individual categories. Please consider nominating a local volunteer or club that has made a difference.

Simpson Ward

Cr Prue Cutts – Deputy Mayor 0409 867 540 prue.cutts@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Terrara Ward

Cr Raylene Carr 0400 886 889 raylene.carr@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Consultation on the East Burwood Reserve Masterplan resulted in over 600 responses in the first round and 706 in the second round.

At a recent Council meeting, I tabled a petition signed by 136 residents objecting to the proposed fenced dog park in the SW corner of the site. Some of their perceived concerns being the park was located too close to their boundary fences resulting in an intrusion of privacy, especially for those working from home, noise and smell attracting an increase of flies during summer and the park posed a risk to the elderly and small children living in the area. They supported this section of the reserve to remain as passive open space.

I thanked the residents for their efforts in gathering the signatures as it is only through actions such as this that we are aware of their concerns and able to reflect the community voice. I also stressed that this is a draft plan, subject to change and that Council has not reached any decisions. The rezoning of the ARRB site from Transport Zone 4 to Residential Growth Zone 3 has been adopted by Council. This is a huge site in an ideal location close to transport and shops however, is currently a vacant eyesore due to vandalism which needs to be addressed. My concerns remain with the northern exit onto the busy Burwood Highway. Rather than spend millions upgrading the intersection, perhaps a courtesy ‘keep clear’ block at this location would help.

Until next time.

Supporting local is everybody’s business

What are your hopes for your children?

Security? Happiness? A satisfying career? A sustainable and healthy future?

What if we told you this was all within reach simply through shopping locally?

By making a commitment to support local, we stimulate local economies, which cycle money back into the community. This ensures profits remain close to home.

Supporting local, independent traders makes it easier for those with young families to support them, and to raise children with a sense of belonging and purpose.

Through a broader lens, it is strong communities that support the happiness and health of our children.

Let’s keep backing our local businesses, because supporting local is everybody’s business.

Nominate your favourite local businesses now!

Have you discovered a fantastic new local business? Or do you know a business that has continued to provide excellent service?

Give them the recognition they deserve and nominate them for the 2023 Whitehorse Excellence in Business Awards through a simple online application form. Nominations close 23 August 2023.

These awards celebrate local businesses in our municipality and recognise the courage, commitment, dedication and drive it takes to run a business. There are award categories catering to all business types including sole traders, small and medium sized businesses. Applications close soon and the winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony in October.

L Find out more at www.whitehorsebusinessgroup.com.au

5 Star Food Program

Mitcham Korean restaurant ShinShin Jokbal has been named Council’s 5 Star Food Safe Business for August after they impressed officers during a recent inspection.

The restaurant is managed by Jung il Kim and specialises in Korean cuisine including pork, kimchi, rice and noodle dishes.

Find out about other local businesses that achieved excellent star ratings by visiting www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/ehealth-portal

ShinShin Jokbal

Address: 495 Whitehorse Road, Mitcham

Trading Hours: 5pm-10pm, Wednesday-Sunday

Phone: 8821 9581

Help for heritage property owners

Whitehorse is home to a number of significant heritage properties.

Council has a dedicated Heritage Assistance Fund which can provide funding support to individuals, community groups and organisations to maintain these properties.

All owners or occupiers of heritage listed properties in Whitehorse are able to apply, with up to $2000 funding available per property.

Heritage conservation and restoration works are eligible, especially if the works are visible from the street and will improve the appearance of the property. Applications open August 1, 2023.

L More information is available at: www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/ heritage-assistance-fund