Maranoa Ward Newsletter July 2019 Edition
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Transcript of Maranoa Ward Newsletter July 2019 Edition
9835 7846 or 0419 488 204
Cr Cynthia Watson
JULY 2019
Maranoa Ward
To find more activities throughout Boroondara and help you ‘Add life to your years’ visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/over-55s.
During the cold winter months, research tells us it is important to keep active in order to remain healthy. Keeping active at home or getting outdoors and participating in social activities can dramatically improve physical and mental wellbeing.
The Over 55s Hub on Council’s website provides access to hundreds of activities and services to help you stay healthy and happy in Boroondara. This winter, why not try one of the following activities:
Active Living Programs When: 10.30am to 3pm, Thursdays and Fridays Where: Balwyn Evergreen Centre, 45 Talbot Avenue, Balwyn
Bridge When: 12noon to 4pm, Tuesdays, Thursdays and SaturdaysCost: $5 per sessionWhere: Balwyn Community Centre, 230 Balwyn Road, Balwyn North
Flock’s Dance When: 7.15pm to 10.45pm, FridaysWhere: Balwyn Evergreen Centre, 45 Talbot Avenue, Balwyn
Senior Mixed Social Tennis When: 9am to 11am, FridaysWhere: Balwyn Park Tennis Club, 2 Cherry Road, Balwyn
Over 55s keep active this winter
Boroondara is a wonderful place to shop! It has been my guilty pleasure to frequent many of our local businesses as I am a committed and regular shopper. The continued vibrancy and economic success of the many small businesses in our shopping precincts is important. In preparing the Boroondara Community Plan we asked you what was important, and you said having vibrant and dynamic shopping areas. Making sure that these shopping areas are accessible to people of all ages and abilities is important and was a priority when planning the upgrades in Whitehorse Road Balwyn Shopping Precinct and Greythorn Central.
Accessibility is important for many reasons. In public places like our shopping precincts, accessibility is central to breaking down barriers of social isolation and loneliness. In the UK it was identified that 60 per cent of older residents were concerned about limited opportunities to sit when they shopped, and a successful campaign to increase seating in shopping areas was undertaken called (Standing Up for Sitting Down). This campaign drew attention to the importance of the shopping experience for older residents and how a small thing like increasing the number of seats in our public spaces can have a positive impact on health and wellbeing.
If people live in places where the community does not make accessibility a priority it enforces social isolation which is one of the biggest killers in society.
Many people live alone or work from home in isolated jobs, are unemployed, home with young children or part of the ageing population of retirees where social interactions are limited. Everyone needs connection, and our shopping precincts provide many opportunities for social connections which are reliable, safe and hopefully interesting. Social interaction is part of the shopping experience. Building places for people that will support and enhance their shopping experience was part of the thinking that went into planning the new seating area in Yerrin Street, Balwyn.
More needs to be done to ensure that when we build or refurbish our public spaces, we make places for people which support all ages and are all-ability friendly. One of the great features of the new Yerrin Street community space is that it can be booked for community events through Council and traffic flow stopped while events are in progress. This now gives the Balwyn community a place to gather and a focal point within the Whitehorse Road Shopping precinct. I am excited to see how this new space is used by our community and will also be one of those weary shoppers who sits in the shade to rest a while.
Warm regards,
Cynthia Watson
A message from your Councillor
To find out more about the Service Crew visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/service-crew or call 9278 4580.
As you spend time at the Balwyn shopping centre, you may have noticed our Service Crew dressed in fluorescent orange, busily working to keep the centre clean and beautiful.
The Service Crew is an initiative to improve the way we take care of our shopping centres. They have been a welcome addition to the current maintenance program, offering a more personalised and immediate service at some of our major shopping centres.
The crew focus on the cleaning, repair and maintenance of Council assets, and enhance our shopping centres by carrying out minor repair works on the spot. Since starting in November, the crew have carried out more than 60 inspections at Balwyn shopping centre, including more than 300 cleaning tasks and 50 maintenance works.
When you see the Service Crew van nearby, it means our small team are sprucing up your local shopping centre, making it a more pleasant environment for all.
Have you seen our Service Crew?
To apply for an event permit visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/apply-promotional-events-permit. For more information about our streetscape improvements visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/improving-streetscapes or call 9278 4060.
As part of our Balwyn Access Plan, we have transformed a section of Yerrin Street, creating a new public space for all to enjoy in the heart of the thriving Balwyn Shopping precinct.
The works were completed in May and have enhanced the appearance of the centre by creating a safe, functional, green and pedestrian-friendly environment.
Some of the key features include maintaining two-way vehicle access to Yerrin Street via Whitehorse Road, new raised pedestrian crossing, footpath widening, and new road and footpath paving providing all-abilities access. New feature lighting, seating, bins, bike hoops and a drinking fountain were installed. We have also removed three trees due to their declining health and planted 14 new maple trees and one new smooth-barked apple gum tree.
The improvements will support local traders by creating a more attractive public space for residents and visitors to enjoy and spend more time in. Yerrin Street is also a great place for community events.
Improvements at Balwyn shopping precinct
Council uses a cost-effective distribution method for this publication. This can sometimes mean you receive the newsletter of a neighbouring ward. If this happens, please contact [email protected] and we’ll post the correct newsletter.
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Postal address: Private Bag 1 Camberwell VIC 3124Call:
9278 4444
Web: boroondara.vic.gov.au
For more information email Clare Davey, Senior Coordinator Transport Advocacy, at: [email protected].
Council continues to oppose the Victorian Government’s preferred North East Link route (Corridor Option A) connecting the Melbourne Metropolitan Ring Road with the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen Road.
On Friday 7 June 2019 we provided our submission on the North East Link Environment Effects Statement (EES) to Planning Panels Victoria. It highlighted concerns about the impact of the Corridor Option A on our community, which includes: • the loss of 6-7 hectares of open space in
the Koonung Creek Reserve • the demolition of the
Boroondara Tennis Centre • the partial removal of the
Freeway Golf Course • increased traffic noise on
the Eastern Freeway, and • added traffic on the
Boroondara road network.Council’s submission is available to view on our website www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/north-east-link-project.
The next stage in the EES process is for the Inquiry and Advisory Committee (IAC) to review the public submissions received. Everyone who provided a submission on the EES can present at the public hearings, which will be held from late July and run for approximately seven weeks. If you made a submission, we encourage you to consider presenting. Visit the North East Link website www.northeastlink.vic.gov.au for more details.
North East Link Environment Effects Statement - the next steps
To see the full schedule of Boroondara Literary Festival events and to register your attendance visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/literary-festival or call 9278 4666.
The second annual Boroondara Literary Festival is running until Wednesday 28 August 2019 hosting a number of free events across all our community libraries. Featuring poetry readings and workshops, history sessions, author talks and children’s workshops, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
At Balwyn Library, you have the opportunity to attend a number of events, including:
• Young writers, readers and publishers workshop (ages 10 to 18) 4pm to 5.30pm, Thursday 18 July 2019
• Maps, manuscripts, podcasts and more 1pm to 2pm, Thursday 25 July 2019
• Book talk 11am to 12noon, Monday 5 August 2019
• Children’s Book Week: Preschool story time 11am to 11.45am, Tuesday 20 August 2019
Boroondara Literary Festival at Balwyn Library
For more information on our sustainability efforts visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/waste-environment or call 9278 4873.
As part of our energy performance contract, we’ve recently delivered a range of energy-efficiency upgrades to the Boroondara Sports Complex. These works add to the sustainability initiatives delivered during the major renewal of the centre in 2016.
Some of the recent key improvements include the upgrade of three boilers and the replacement of 194 lights with high-efficiency lighting. At this complex alone, these upgrades will stop 650 tonnes per year of greenhouse gas going into the atmosphere and save more than $19,000 in electricity costs annually.
There’s still more upgrades to come later this year, including water saving upgrades to the pool. We’ll also measure the project benefits, verifying the energy reduction and money savings that the energy performance contract promises.
Leaving a greener footprint in Maranoa
