President’s Message
Local Government Elections October 2015 is an important month on the local government calendar with our elections being held. I would encourage anyone interested in contributing to future of the Shire of Northam to put forward a nomination to stand for Council. The Shire will be holding a Candidate Information Session at 6pm on Tuesday, 1 September 2015 in the Council Chambers located in the Administration Centre at 395 Fitzgerald Street, Northam. Nominations close on September 10, 2015. More information can be obtained from www.elections.wa.gov.au/elections/local
National Ballooning Championships All the planning of this event is indicating it will be an exciting week in Northam and the Avon. A highlight of the week will be the Balloon ‘Glow’ Festival which will be held on Saturday, 29 August. More information on this event and other activities during the week can be obtained from the Northam Visitor Centre on (08) 9622 2100.
New Shopping Centre and DOME Café It has been an exciting few weeks in Northam with the announcements of the potential redevelopment of the ‘Old Hospital Site’ and the DOME Café proposal for the Shamrock Hotel. As a community we should be excited about the future of Northam and the potential growth that will occur. We look forward to receiving comments on the Old Hospital Site development in the coming weeks.
Rate Notices Your Council rate notices should be landing in your letterboxes in coming days. I realise this is a time of the year people generally look forward to, however I would encourage you to pay by the due date. If you are having financial difficulties please contact the Council office and a payment plan can be arranged.
CBD Works You will notice work being undertaken on Fitzgerald Street. Council have allocated funding to improve the look and feel of the CBD. The work between Beavis Place and Gairdner Street is stage 1. Once we have completed this we will review it with the view of continuing the development along our main street, please feel free to make comment on the works through email, telephone, Facebook or by contacting the Council directly.
Works underway at Wundowie The Wundowie Skate Park project is well underway. This should be completed in the next two months and will provide a wonderful facility for the young (and young at heart) community in Wundowie and surround.
Grass Valley Public Meeting As part of our ongoing commitment to talking with the community, the Council will be at the Grass Valley Community Hall on Thursday, 3 September. Our staff will be at the Hall from 4.00pm to 5.30pm and from 5.30pm the entire Council will be available to answer your questions and provide updates.
2015 Banners in the Terrace
Students from Avonvale Primary School have won the Upper Primary School category of the 2015 Banners in the Terrace competition with their hot air balloon themed banner.
The competition was run by the WA Local Government Association as part of its annual Convention at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre and included banners from 69 communities which were displayed in St Georges and Adelaide Terraces between 26 July and 8 August 2015.
The competition winners were announced at the 2015 WA Local Government Convention and Exhibition, which attracts more than 600 Local Government representatives and over 100 suppliers to the sector.
Library News
National Science Week September 5th Families are invited between 9.30am — 11.30am to interact with the library Mindstorm Robots that our young scientists have been building and programming as part National Science Week, this is a free event all ages welcome being held on the mezzanine of the library.
Artist In Residence Program 2nd—4th September September 2nd sees the launch of our new program Artists in Residence commencing with Elizabeth Rae (writer) and Rennie Langham (illustrator) who are currently collaborating on a book titled “Where’s My Mum”. Members of the public are invited to come and interact with our artists, ask questions, listen to live readings and view art work, special children’s sessions will held during this period.
Avon Writers Festival 19-20th of September The weekend festival will be held at Northam and Toodyay libraries featuring children’s and adult workshops. Places are limited so please register early to avoid disappointment. This year’s festival features 16 national and internationally cclaimed authors and artists.
Details of all library programs can be found on the library webpage http://www.northam.wa.gov.au/libraries.aspx or contact Hayley [email protected]
Engineering Services
Avon Mall Concept Plan
The Shire of Northam is seeking community feedback about a proposed “Upgrade Concept Plan” at Avon Central Mall, Northam.
Your feedback will help us to understand the needs of our community. The concept plan recognises the need to improve Avon Central Mall on both a functional and aesthetic level much desired by the community. The design focuses on enhancing the area to make it more inviting, softening streetscapes and providing areas where public can access public amenities.
The final design and construction of Avon Central Mall will be based on consideration of feedback and the available budget.
The “Upgrade Concept Plan” can be viewed on the shire website www.goo.gl/ESgKXo
![Take a Selfie Take a Selfie](/Assets/Images/newsletter/August_2015/BALLOONING.png)
Bulk Junk Collection
The Shire will be placing skip bins in central locations in the following localities to assist residents with the disposal of large junk items. Items such as paints, oils, asbestos, household hazardous waste and tyres must not be placed in the bins. The following program is currently scheduled with further collections planned in early 2016.
![Bulk Junk Collection Cycle 1 Bulk Junk Collection Cycle 1](/Assets/Images/newsletter/August_2015/Bulk_Bin.jpg)
Any queries in relation to the regional bins should be directed to Carmen Sadleir on 9622 6100 or [email protected]
Mulch Available
The Shire of Northam is continuing its environmental initiative of mulching green waste at the Old Quarry Road Waste Facility. Mulch is available free of charge to householders in the Shire and is limited in size to one trailer or ute load. Self loading is required. Please enquire at the landfill gatehouse.
Any queries in relation to the mulch should be directed to Carmen Sadleir on 9622 6100 or [email protected]
![Free Mulch Free Mulch](/Assets/Images/newsletter/August_2015/073.JPG)
DrumMuster
The next DrumMuster in the Shire of Northam is scheduled for Wednesday, 2nd of September 2015 at the Old Quarry Landfill Site in Northam. DrumMuster is aimed at recycling clean and dry drums from growers, farmers and chemical users throughout Australia. Eligible containers are those with the DrumMuster logo, and they must be clean i.e. triple rinsed or cleaned with high pressure and left with lids off to dry.
Once the containers are received, they are crushed or shredded and transformed into practical items such as plastic cable covers, wheelie bins, bollards and irrigation pipes. More information is available from the drumMuster website at: www.drummuster.com.au
To participate in the Northam DrumMuster please contact Susan Burley at the Shire of Northam on 9622 6113 to arrange a drop off time and advise of the number of drums you will be delivering. ![National Ballooning Championships Northam 2015 National Ballooning Championships Northam 2015](/Assets/Images/newsletter/August_2015/NNBC_Poster.png)
|