Indigo Informer - Indigo Shire Council

What's happened...
• Jacks Road, Wahgunyah
The upgrading of this road began in
the 2010-11 financial year to make the
road trafficable for B-double trucks. This
project was partly funded under the
Roads to Market Grants Program aimed
at improving the B-double road access
network throughout Victoria. The bulk
of the work has been done ($888,448)
with the final seal to be laid in
December at a cost of $84,532.
In time for summer…
• Shade sails for playgrounds
Shade sails have recently been installed
over two playgrounds at Sir Isaac Isaacs
park in Yackandandah and at Banksia
Park in Tangambalanga at a total cost
of $47,300.
• Resheeting of gravel roads
Gravel resheeting on both sides of the
shire in the order of $400,000 have
been completed.
• Wahgunyah river trails sealing and
extension work
Work is underway on sealing existing
trails between John Foord Bridge and
Federation Bridge and below the
Willows Reserve area on the foreshore.
The trail is being extended to the
Recreation Reserve. These works
should be finished before Christmas.
The total cost of this work is $125,000,
grant money.
• Restoration of flood damaged roads
About $1.8 million has been spent on
works across the shire. Works will
continue into the New Year.
AFTER: Garvey Road and access to the bridge has been repaired as part of the
flood repair program.
… and what’s
happening
There are a number of projects, small and
large, scheduled to start before Christmas
and continue into 2012. These are just a
few that will be tackled in the coming six
months. For a bigger picture, visit Council’s
website www.indigoshire.vic.gov.au/What
We Do/ Major Projects & Programs.
• Shire-wide resealing program.
• Chiltern flood mitigation work totalling
$470,000. This is made up of $235,000
in State and Federal Government
grants and $235,000 of Council funds.
• Mill Street, Wahgunyah, special charge
scheme to upgrade that road.
• Wahgunyah Willows Reserve toilet
facility.
• $1 million in grant funding comprising
$670,000 for gravel resheeting of the
shire’s unsealed road network and
$330,000 for road safety improvement.
BEFORE: Flooding rains last year ripped a hole
through Garvey Road, near Yackandandah.
Capital matters
Roadside
Conservation
Management
and Fire
Prevention
More than 50 roadsides were recently
assessed against Council’s newly updated
Roadside Conservation Management Plan.
The CFA District 24 Office submitted a
program of proposed roadside fuel reduction
works to Council that brigades intended to
undertake and these were assessed in terms
of their fuel loads, strategic fire breaks, traffic
management requirements, as well as
conservation values.
Because of their high conservation values
two roadsides required onsite discussion
with CFA District brigade personnel, Council
and Department of Sustainability and
Environment staff. Roadsides that have intact
native vegetation ground cover are ‘stable’
systems that often present less of a fire
hazard than areas that have been disturbed.
Onsite discussion - Matt Looby (Senior Biodiversity
Officer – DSE), Mark Greene (Council’s Municipal
Fire Prevention Officer), Phil Browne (Vegetation
Management Officer CFA Hume Region) and Keith
Harms (Captain of the Beechworth Rural Brigade).
Disability access upgrade
A total of $90,000 of capital works funds will be spent over the next six months on
improving disability access for residents in Rutherglen, Chiltern, Beechworth and
Yackandandah residents. Works will focus on upgrading ramps, footpath access,
tactile indicators, signage, and access over cobble stone footpaths.
Rutherglen: Rutherglen retirement village footpath widening; Douglas Street/High
Street pram crossing replacement; Main Street, remove redundant vehicle crossing
at Café 142.
Chiltern: Conness St/Chiltern-Rutherglen
Road, widening footpaths; Senior Citizens
building, disability parking bays line marking.
Beechworth: Camp Street, stonemason
work to improve access over cobble stones;
Ford Street, repair trip hazard in arcade
connecting the supermarket; historic
precinct, building access ramps.
Yackandandah: Supermarket, improve
disability parking; High Street, new crossing
over open stone drain.
Engineer Paul McLachlan stands on
the site of a new pedestrian crossover
in High Street, Yackandandah.
December - January 2012 – Indigo Informer 3