Results from an active community.......

I have been completely unsuccessful in getting the posting up this week in my 'Walk the Streets' initiative. I apologise for not being on time but have not had much luck getting anyone at home. I have a few responses but it's not really enough to make any quality resolutions from. As this is proving so difficult this week I have decided to give myself a bit of a break, continue to get more responses and get the information out to you all a week late. I know that those of you hanging on my every word (that's everyone right?) will be disappointed that it's not on time, but I promise to keep going with the project as it is as interesting to me as I hope it is to you.

In the meanwhile, I have been attending numerous community meetings and having conversations with all and sundry to try and keep up with what is happening on the South Side. It's been tricky because of the sheer scope of things and the high growth out here has meant that more and more projects in every size are under-way or being discussed, than ever before.

What I have learnt from attending these meetings, is that while there are many and varied groups needing assistance with getting a brilliant idea moving along, not many of them know where to look for that help, and are failing to realise it is often right in front of them.

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There are small groups of dedicated people who tutor at-risk students outside of school hours but within the school grounds. These individuals are doing a service that not many would volunteer for, yet the results are proving to be quite astounding. Basic training of these volunteers is hard to come by, the Education Dept is of no help in this area and the courses available are priced beyond the reach of many volunteers. The answer? Contact the school P&F or P&C committee.

They work really hard all year to raise funds for the children in the school to have access to a better education so this project and ones like it, are the perfect avenue for some of that money. It may take some convincing, parting with cash is not easy for some, but if you can show the worth of the project and the need, there is no reason that some of the Committee funds could not be utilised to train volunteers. Hopefully those groups who are now approaching their P&C Committees will get the answers they seek.

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The Edmonton/Hambledon RSL Sub-Branch has been searching for a space to erect a new hall for a little while now without success. Last week a breakthrough occurred that will see the process sped up and at the next Council meeting they will present their preferred option to all Councillors and a final okay should result shortly after. This would be fantastic for the group as they desperately require somewhere permanent to hold meetings, store memorabilia and run events such as ANZAC Day from.
My hope is that their new plan, which looks and sounds like a great idea, is acceptable to all Councillors and they are allowed to begin construction.

Here on the south side our population growth has not only resulted in much higher numbers of families, but also higher numbers of older men and women. This, coupled with the fact that the recent and current wars feature many Australians, means that the group is also growing much larger and with a recruitment drive about to begin they are expecting to assist huge numbers of former and current Diggers in numerous ways. Any organisation that supports members of our community needs to be supported by the entire community when there is a need. Whenever you see them out the front of Piccone's selling raffle tickets, buy a few. When the building goes up early next year you will know that you helped build it.

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Today, Wednesday 13th, sees the results for the Sugarworld consultation being voted on by Council. This will hopefully see all Councillors vote for the preferred option which was fairly obviously going to be Option 2. A concern has been raised that the final paper presented on the consultation tells a few whoppers in regard to costing of the project and it is hoped that all Councillors will have done a bit of their own homework on this one so it is not lost in translation.

Without adjusting Option 2 in any way, the cost in total should come out at just under the $4 million allocated. This means that the time frame for tendering and construction should not need any alterations and it can all proceed as quickly as possible.

While it may feel to some like Sugarworld slides are progressing at a snails pace, it should be acknowledged that the community, with the help of several of it's most vocal members, have ensured that this issue stays a priority with Council and without their stance, this may well have stalled.

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Road upgrades have occurred near Coles in Edmonton that initially seemed quite badly done, within a few days of completion and after much heavy rain, the section that was widened was full of potholes. One letter to the Council CEO from an outspoken resident and this morning, I drove down a (very) recently re-covered section of road that was nicely laid. Hopefully it stays that way.

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The residents of Friendship Street are putting their foot down, figuratively speaking, and after my walk down their street where every resident had an issue with the bad 'hooning' problem in the street, they have decided to approach the Council via e-mail to see if something can be done about the problem. The small street is the best avenue for use by those wishing to avoid the lights at Roberts Road and cars scream down it every day. Most of the residents in this street have children and none will let them play outside, just because they fear they will be hit by an out of control car. At the corner of Friendship and McLaughlan, if you look closely you will see the house facing both streets has several new fence panels. This is the result of cars losing control and hitting the fence, knocking it down. Thankfully there have been no serious injuries as a result but there must be some way to alleviate the problem, for motorists and residents alike.

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Further investigation by the second street in my walks has led to them discovering that part of the CEC asset sale they rushed through to stay afloat was to the State Government. This is the reason for the sudden rise in Public Housing in this area. The State Government needs to look more closely at how dense this population is, and perhaps sell some of the homes and buy more elsewhere.

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All of the issues, resolutions, decisions, actions above are a direct result of Community involvement by residents who have a common goal. Some of these perhaps needed the help to get them started on the right path, others were lucky to know someone vocal in the area and some just took it upon themselves to get the job done. It doesn't matter how you become involved, how much time you give or how dedicated you are to the cause. Working together as a community is the best way to affect change and it's extremely heartening to know that there are plenty of people getting together and doing something positive for those around them. You just need to get out there, talk to your neighbours and get busy. Off you go, no time like the present.