While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge us as we welcome in the New Year, currently we are fortunate to be in a good position in Georges River.
2020 did not stall the momentum of the council in working towards a sustainable and resilient community. In this regard, I'd like to personally thank our hardworking staff who in the challenging environment, continue to provide outstanding service to our community.
More than ever, we value our public spaces and parks. They continue to provide comfort for our community while restrictions are in place, whether it be for exercise, play, or getting in touch with nature, all of which help with our mental wellbeing.
With this in mind, we pushed ahead to provide new amenities and services in our parks, leading to the completion of:
- Inclusive playgrounds in Penshurst Park, Anderson Park, Grosvenor Street Reserve, Simpson Reserve and Paddy Tyler Reserve
- Sporting and public amenity building at Upper Gannons Park; drainage, irrigation and returfing of 8.9 hectares of parkland
- Landscaping and stormwater treatment works in Lower Gannons Park; reinstatement of Boggywell Creek flow, and a connected walkway and boardwalk, increasing community connectivity to the park's environment and natural systems
- Sporting surface upgrades on Olds Park Oval No. 2 and Beverly Hills Park
- Construction of FIFA accredited synthetic field and training surface at Poulton Park, soccer and netball amenities buildings and new paths
- Our world first, award-winning ChillOUT hubs in Kogarah, Hurstville and Mortdale
We launched the Georges River Innovation Strategy, which creates a collaborative innovation network to gather government, business, organisations, research institutions, and public insights.
Additionally, we launched the Georges River 2050 vision. This vision guides our LGA to becoming more accessible, green, diverse and innovative. We will continue looking to the future for Georges River.
It is important to us - in fact, it is critical for these projects' success - to have the support of our community and volunteers.
I am grateful, particularly at this time, for their dedication to this beautiful and significant part of Sydney. I hope the time will come in this New Year, where we can really embrace and celebrate what we have in Georges River.
In the meantime, keep looking after each other.
