From the Mayor's Desk - 21 December 2020
21 December 2020
As 2020 draws to a close we can reflect in the broadest sense on a tumultuous year.
The start of the year saw dust and drought dominating our thoughts. Rain came and the winter crops for many yielded the best results in years. Likewise, our graziers were able to cease feeding livestock. This has been overlaid since March by Covid 19 and all of the implications of the changes that this has necessitated to halt the spread of the disease.
Against this backdrop Council has continued to deliver a significant number of projects beginning with the opening of the much anticipated skate park in February, one of the best skate parks in NSW. The continuing redevelopment of the Carter Oval precinct into a family focused recreational area, an eventual reopening of the refurbished Warren War Memorial Swimming Pool, continuing redevelopment and upgrades to the airport including an aircraft refueling station, facility enhancements for all of the nine organisations that make use of the Showground Racecourse including the impressive eighty metre by forty metre covered equestrian arena and enhancements to the villages of Nevertire and Collie are some of the projects that if not complete, are virtually complete.
The Wonbobbie Bridge across the Marthaguy Creek has recently been completed. The new Council building is nearing completion externally with internal refurbishment of the original building to occur in the first quarter of 2021 to complete the project. The cross linking of our two bore sites at Bore Flat and on the Ellengerah Rd has given us the ability to maintain firefighting ability at low river water levels.
The longer than two kilometre section of the Old Warren Road that I spoke of last week as having been reconstructed received a primary seal last Tuesday.
Work will begin shortly reconstructing and widening two kilometres of the Nevertire-Bogan Road from two kilometres south of Nevertire.
Maintenance work is continuing on all of our local roads.
Repair work on the Oxley Highway however and consequently at our roundabout is the responsibility of Transport for NSW. Warren Shire Council continues to seek the repairs to the roundabout by Transport for NSW to get the works completed as soon as possible.
The post storm clean-up continues in Nevertire.
Quite a number of new projects will be undertaken in the New Year and with the return of this newspaper in late January I will take the opportunity to then outline those.
I wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas being mindful of the threat that Covid 19 continues to pose to our community.
Milton Quigley
Mayor
21st December 2020