Maroondah in focus – your community newsletterDecember 2015 to February 2016Mayor’s message
Welcome to the December edition of Maroondah in Focus, my first as the newly-elected Mayor of Maroondah and made even more special as it will be during my tenth year as a Councillor.
It has been an honour to represent the community over the past 10 years. It has been a wonderful experience as a Councillor for what was the Clocktower Ward, and now the Arrabri Ward.
I take over the role of Mayor with the City in a great place, with the recent opening of Realm and Ringwood Town Square, along with Aquanation, providing state-of-the-art facilities for our community.
These facilities are a direct result of the great work undertaken by Council in conjunction with the Victorian and Australian governments as well as QIC/Eastland.
I look forward to working with both levels of government to continue to provide great facilities and new opportunities for Maroondah.
Council’s attention will continue to be set on our Long Term Financial Strategy as we work to meet our community needs in an increasingly challenging financial environment, and in preparation for the Victorian Government’s rate capping. With an awareness and appreciation of the rising cost of living facing our ratepayers, we understand that it is vital we ensure we are providing high quality facilities and services to our community in the most cost efficient and sustainable way.
I hope the community can join us at the annual Australia Day celebrations at Ringwood Lake on Tuesday 26 January. The event will include a Citizenship Ceremony and the Maroondah Citizen of the Year awards. Please come along and join in the free community activities.
I also look forward to meeting you at the Arrabri Ward Celebrate Maroondah event on Saturday 27 February at Glen Park. This and other meet your Councillor events are a great opportunity to come together as a community, have a chat with your ward councillor and enjoy some free family friendly activities.
On behalf of Council, I wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season and best wishes.
Register your new pet online!
Owners of new pets in Maroondah can now register their pet online.
All you need is electronic copies of documentation that proves that your pet has been desexed and microchipped as well as any other special criteria.
All dogs and cats must be registered with Council by the age of 3 months.
Registration renewals are due on 10 April each year.
To register a new pet online, visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au
For further information, call Council’s Local Laws team on 9294 5653 or visit Council’s website.
Have your say on Maroondah dog park proposal
As a result of community feedback, Council is considering the development of sites for a dog park.
Dog parks are places where owners can take their dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. They can include activity and training areas and natural rummaging spaces within a fenced area.
Following initial investigations, Eastfield Park and Quambee Reserve have been identified as potentially suitable sites, when taking into account the amount of space required and the proximity to amenities, such as toilets and car parking.
Maroondah Festival was one of the first places that community members could have their say about what elements they would like to see included in a dog park.
There’s still time to have your say, so visit Council’s website, before December 31, to fill out the online survey, or ask for a survey at any of Council’s service centres.
Stay safe around water
Education and supervision are the most important factors in successfully staying safe around water.
It’s important to remember that it isn’t only children or weak swimmers who drown – statistics show that adults over 60 years are also at a high risk of drowning.
Along with constant supervision around water, developing swimming and water safety skills are vital.
Council offers three fantastic venues for aquatics education: Aquahub and Croydon Memorial Pool in Croydon, and Aquanation in Ringwood.
To find out more, visit www.maroondahleisure.com.au or call 9294 5500.
Prepare a fire plan
Summer is bushfire season. So while Council is busy preparing our parks and reserves, and inspecting vacant properties, we encourage residents to become fire ready at home.
Even a small grass fire can quickly get out of control, particularly in extreme weather. Preparing a simple fire plan now and getting your property into a ‘fire ready’ state can make all the difference if a bushfire strikes.
Your plan needs to outline actions: before the bushfire season, during the bushfire season, and leading up to high risk days as well as your back-up plan. And don’t forget about your pets or the risk of regular house fires: check those fire alarm batteries!
The CFA website – www.cfa.vic.gov.au – is a fantastic resource and offers advice on preparing a Bushfire Survival Plan.
Be heatwave ready
Have you developed a plan to deal with times of extreme heat this summer? The Victorian Government defines a heatwave as a period of abnormally and uncomfortably hot weather that could impact on human health, community infrastructure and services.
Heat-related illness occurs when the body is unable to cool itself properly, which can result in a range of symptoms, from heat exhaustion through to potentially fatal conditions such as heat stroke.
Maroondah has a Heatwave Plan in place that focuses on assisting people who are identified as most at risk in the context of heat-related incidents. These include pregnant women, nursing mothers, babies and young children, people aged 65 and over and people who have a serious medical condition.
If the Department of Health advises of a heatwave, Council’s Heatwave Plan will be activated. If services or appointments are affected, we will contact residents to let them know. Further information and a list of services that may be affected can be found on Council’s website.
The most important things to remember are to keep cool, drink plenty of water, stay out of the sun and to look after yourself and others, including your pets (bring them indoors and keep them hydrated). Keep your house cool by drawing curtains and blinds and avoiding going out or exercising.
For 24-hour health advice residents can contact NURSE-ON-CALL on 1300 60 60 24.
Check your pool and spa fence
Counting down the days until pool party weather? Well before the fun starts, it’s time to check your fences and gates.
Pool fences and gates are not only a legal requirement but also provide an important mechanism to protect against the tragedy of death by drowning.
· Make sure fences and gates are fully functional, meet regulation and are correctly fitted and maintained.
· Check there aren’t any climbable objects near fences in your yard, or along your neighbours’ fence line, that might allow children to access the pool or spa.
· If you have an inflatable pool that is deeper than 300mm, you must have a safety barrier in place.
For more information on pool and spa fencing, as well as building permit information for pools and spas, contact Council’s Building Services team or visit www.buildingcommission.com.au
At Realm the possibilities are endless
More than 14,000 people visited Realm over the opening weekend in October, taking the opportunity to explore the state-of-the-art centre.
Realm is providing the Maroondah community – and eastern region more broadly – with opportunities that until now have only been available in a CBD environment.
Across three storeys and 3400sqm Realm boasts a Council Service Centre, library, curated art space, Centre for Regional Knowledge and Innovation, BizHub, creative content studio, digital lab, meeting and presentation spaces, café and much more.
Realm will be pivotal in positioning the region as the innovation and knowledge capital of Australia.
Did you know?
There are already more than 100 free and low cost activities and events scheduled at Realm over the coming months, including: children’s storytime and activities; technology and innovation seminars; business workshops; author talks; arts and cultural events; craft activities; gaming; youth social groups; and much more. To get involved and find something that suits your interests visit www.realm.vic.gov.au.
Your Mullum Councillors
Cr Nora LamontMobile 0428 394 581
I was proud to be one of 30 community members to complete the Living Works ASIST suicide prevention training recently.
Council partnered with EACH social and community health to provide the training free to community members.
The training teaches the skills people need to better identify the signs of suicide and to provide assistance to those who may be contemplating suicide.
It is comforting to know that we now have people in our community from a range of different clubs, schools and organisations who have these important skills.
The training was held in the lead up to Council’s annual Night of Light event – with community members invited to light a candle and reflect on what can be done to either help themselves or support others.
Guest speaker was beyondblue Ambassador Alan Weston who shared the impact suicide and mental illness has had on his life.
Cr Mary-Anne Lowe Mobile 0419 234 416
One of the most rewarding things about being a Councillor is the interaction I have with community groups. From toy libraries, senior citizens to multicultural groups, it has certainly opened my eyes to what is in our own backyard in Maroondah.
There are hundreds of groups in desperate need for volunteers. I recently had the pleasure of helping North Ringwood Playgroup host a sausage sizzle at Maroondah Festival to raise funds for new craft and learning materials.
While I enjoyed getting out and meeting new people, it was supporting my community that made the experience rewarding, and I welcome an invitation to assist with your next activity!
So, I encourage everyone to consider volunteering to help others – whether with a sporting club, kindergarten, environmental group or simply helping a neighbour.
The world is run by people who turn up, you don’t need a reason to do it, just do it, and because of this Maroondah will be the best community we could possibly hope for.
Cr Samantha Marks
Mobile 0408 145 110
The benefits of walking are many, from improving fitness and cardio health, developing strong muscles and bones, to increasing mental wellbeing. So it was fantastic to see students and families from schools across
Maroondah including more walking in their school day in support of Walk to School events. It was an outstanding turn out for the launch of Walk to School month with 10 schools coordinating their own Crazy Sock Days and the Say G’Day Challenge.
Children were encouraged to “say g’day” to their school crossing supervisor and collect a special Golden Ticket.
By encouraging communication between children and their school crossing supervisor, we are trying to increase understanding of safe crossing practices and improve knowledge of the local area.
More importantly we have seen the annual event lead to more children walking to school on a regular basis.
Building a vibrant Maroondah - Town Square opening
Ringwood Town Square officially opened on October 29, and judging by the number of people to walk, sit and eat across the opening weekend, it has quickly become the go to place in Ringwood, with a range of restaurants and boutique stores open around the square.
Visit the moonlit night markets located adjacent to the town square and browse through a selection of wares from emerging artisans, including fashion, stationery, homewares and kids items. Street food trucks will serve up tasty treats, which you can sit and enjoy while listening to live music performances.
The markets will be open every Wednesday from 5.30pm until December 23.
Ringwood Station update
The new Ringwood station and bus interchange is now open for business, with the main works completed in December. This follows the milestone event late in October when the new bus interchange was formally opened. The $66 million Victorian Government project links seamlessly with the new Town Square and provides a modern, accessible transport hub for the Ringwood city centre.
Eastland opening
The first stage of the new Eastland was unveiled to hundreds of thousands of people on October 29, with over 100 new stores opening their doors. The formal openings saw David Jones conduct a ribbon cutting with Rebecca Judd, Jessica Gomes and Jesinta Campbell adding some glamour;while the staff of H&M put on an energetic singing and dancing show prior to opening their doors. A traditional Japanese welcome for the waiting shoppers at Uniqlo included a rousing Japanese drumming performance. The final stage of the $665 million redevelopment will open in April 2016.
Bunnings coming to Ringwood
A big welcome to Bunnings, which will be establishing a 6000sqm store in the heart of Ringwood at the Ringwood Square Shopping Centre, expected to open in mid-2016.
The project, which involves the redevelopment of the old Target store, is expected to create more than 80 jobs and an additional 50 construction jobs during the conversion.
Did you know?
A new piece of community art is being created as part of the redeveloped Ringwood Station and
Bus Interchange. The mural was designed by Carla Gottgens and produced in association with a group of young people through Eastern Access Community Health.
The project is a joint partnership between the Victorian Government, Council and Eastern Access Community Health to bring public artwork in to the Ringwood Activities Centre.
Parkour takes play to a new height
Glen Park is now home to a new parkour area thanks to an innovative community project.
The Co-design Studio Project, funded by the Victorian Government, engaged young people in the design and construction of the space.
The concept for the Parkour log stand and seating came from students at Heathmont Secondary College and was further refined by Council, utilising the highly successful experience of the Parkour training circuit at X Space in Croydon Park.
The logs were reclaimed from other Council projects and installed at Glen Park to create an interesting low level Parkour exercise area as well as casual seating close to the existing tennis and basketball courts.
This has added another dimension to the recreation offering at Glen Park which includes the highly popular playspace, BBQs and picnic area as well as a bike riding circuit.
Local residents of the Laura Court Reserve in Bayswater North can also experience their own Parkour training circuit as part of the Co-design Studio Project.
Improving Maroondah