ANNUAL REPORT 2010/11 - Parramatta City Council

COMMUNITY & NEIGHBOURHOODSFitted for Work helps women fronting up for an interview to look the partSolar power is now helping to heat pools in the Parramatta Swimming CentreSOCIAL ENTERPRISESON THE RISEWhat do Fitted for Work, Food4Life and Mars Hill Caféhave in common? They are three of a growing number ofsocial enterprises that Council actively supports acrossthe Parramatta local government area. Over the past fiveyears Council has provided $400,000 in grant funding tosocial enterprises that are set up to deliver core social,environmental and/or cultural outcomes.Whether it’s helping women experiencing disadvantage tofind work and ultimately achieve financial independence(Fitted for Work) or feeding and supporting disadvantagedlocal residents struggling to break generational cycles ofrelative poverty (Food4Life), Council’s social enterpriseprogram provides the wherewithal for bottom up businessesto get off the ground, and in doing so helping the individualsinvolved to help themselves.Similarly the Parramatta CBD-based Mars Hill Café providesopportunities for volunteer, work experience and paidemployment in its café and associated sound studio, venuehire and art curation activities.INVESTING IN SOLAR HEATINGIt’s not surprising that the Parramatta Swimming Centreuses more electricity than any other Council asset. Open tothe air and all year round, keeping the water warm enoughfor swimmers is an energy-intensive task. Although keepingthe covers over heated pools that are not in use helps,significantly reducing energy consumption required a longerterm strategy.Investing in solar hot water, we covered three roof spaceswith 412m 2 of solar collectors to help heat the toddler, learnto swim and slide pools, with the temperature of watertravelling through these solar tubes increasing by four or fivedegrees.Over a 12 month period, our new solar collectors shouldreduce the pool’s electricity needs by around 17 per cent.Council expects to pay off this investment in less than fiveyears, a win win for all year round swimmers, our bottom lineand our environmental footprint.OTHER KEY ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDED• progressed construction of a shared cycle and pedestrianpathway—the Ermington Bay Nature Walk—betweenGeorge Kendall Riverside Park and Melrose Park throughenvironmentally sensitive mangrove and salt marsh plantcommunities on the Parramatta River foreshore• implemented the NSW Early Learning Years Frameworknew national curriculum across our Early Learning Centresand received high quality accreditation in ELC spot checks• finalised integration of Parramatta’s key land useand zoning plans into a Comprehensive draft LocalEnvironmental Plan 2011 and Development Control Plan toreflect the revised Residential Development Strategy• completed $492,575 of playground replacements at CaberPark, Winston Hills; Ray Marshall Reserve, Granville;Leamington Road Reserve, Dundas; Loftus Square, Epping;and Upjohn Park, Dundas• progressed $440,000 sports field reconstruction and watersustainability works at Horlyck Reserve, South Granville• serviced 45,000 face-to-face customers and answered161,188 calls, responding to 82.5 per cent within 20seconds, exceeding our 80 per cent target.16 PARRAMATTA CITY COUNCIL - ANNUAL REPORT 2010/11