Griffith City CouncilAnnual Community Report

2011/12

The past twelve months has seen GCC enter the final year of the term of the current Council. August 2011 saw the appointment of new GM Brett Stonestreet and he was immediately tasked with the job of reviewing the staff structure and completing a major review of the Council management plan. The result was the newly adopted structure in February and then a transition to the finer tuning of the Council finances.That review and the resultant management plan has seen Council focus on sustainable fiscal management into the future which under the current restraints will see Council in sound a position in terms of borrowings by 2015.Not only has Council responded to the day to day management of the community business it has delivered on a number of major innovative developments and projects. Securing funding for the soon

to commence C o m m u n i t y

Private Hospital and Learning Centre will see a major boost to health services in Griffith. Grant monies will also help realise an upgraded Airport Terminal which will serve the community into the future. Recreationally, the opening of a world class Griffith City Park has added a new dimension to a healthy lifestyle precinct.The recently opened Water Reclamation Plant boasts industry leading technology, ensuring Griffith has additional capacity to grow into the future.Over the next twelve months Council is hopeful of securing the relocation of the Western Riverina Intermodal Freight Terminal to a new site outside the CBD. Council continues to work on this project with the assistance of local industry representatives.Underpinning all this work is the benefit of a team of hardworking and loyal staff who have assisted Council develop a vision to secure the lifestyle and growth factor

that the community deserves.I would like to thank Council and its staff for their continued commitment to ensure that we can ‘Love the Lifestyle’, despite external pressures in relation to water and other natural events that have created distress over the past year. The City of Griffith and villages will continue to prosper and grow as the geographic centre of south eastern Australia. Although well placed logistically and strategically for the future, Council must continue to be vigilant in terms of planning and preparation.

General Manager’s Message Brett Stonestreet

Mayor’s Message Mike Neville

The 2011/12 year has been another busy one for Griffith City Council. While continuing to deliver a host of important services for the community, a comprehensive

review of Council’s financial operations including the development of the first long term financial plan for the City was undertaken. This plan highlighted that Council would have difficulty in remaining financially sustainable into the mid to long term unless some structural adjustments took place. A review of services was subsequently undertaken by senior staff

and councillors which resulted in changes to the organisational structure. This revised structure was adopted by Council during February 2012 and implemented as from July 2012. I would like to commend all my staff for the very responsible manner in which they participated in the review process. Some of the decisions taken in terms of changes to the structure were difficult but will place Council on a more solid financial footing going forward.Several major projects were progressed during the year. By the time this report is published the Griffith Water Reclamation Plant will have been completed. This major sewerage treatment infrastructure project is vital to the future growth of the City and will be completed on time and on budget. Federal Government funding was announced as part of the

May 2012 budget to ensure the Griffith Community Private Hospital will go ahead. The project which includes a clinical teaching and learning centre, student accommodation and community private hospital is at the advanced planning stage. Construction of the first phase being the student accommodation will commence by December 2012. Work has commenced with the upgrade of the Griffith Airport Terminal upgrade. Council was successful in securing $1.9M from the Federal Government towards towards this $2.4M project which will showcase the primary gateway to our growing city.May I take this opportunity to thank all my staff for their hard work and dedication to delivering quality services for the citizens of our City and to all current councillors for their commitment and guidance.

Griffith City LibraryDuring the past year:133,005 visits were made to the library, 133,885 items were borrowed, 6,338 items were added to the collection, 6,047 users accessed the Library’s WiFi and 7,260 people attended our events! The Library has been constantly in the spotlight as it celebrated the National Year of Reading. The Calendar of Events was launched on December 3 when, in the presence of the Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Governor of New South Wales and Australian author Melina Marchetta, a gala dinner attended by 200 people was held inside the library.Throughout the year there has been an enthusiastic response to NYR events which have included Travelling Books, a Summer Reading Competition attracting over 200 children, Love Your Library Slogan Competition, Never Judge a Book by its Movie, Around the World in 80 books, Tune In – music trivia night and the Baby & Toddler Expo.The Library continues to be a pivotal contact point for information in the community and this was evident throughout the past year with the library hosting many information sessions and introducing new services:• A State Library grant saw the Library take a giant step in its goal to provide online e-book and e-audio collections. • Will Awareness Program to Celebrate Law Week.• Multicultural Week - Healthy Eating with International Flavours.• International Womens Day.• A host of children’s activities including attractions staged every school holidays.• Regular Saturday Senior Movie screenings sponsored by Avanti Rotary in English, Italian and Hindi• ‘Knatty Knitters’ every Saturday and from June to August• Dementia Awareness Week • Book launches and Author visits• Computer training sessions for Seniors and a fantastic Seniors Week program.

Griffith Regional Art Gallery2011/12 was a successful year with Griffith Regional Art Gallery holding 12 major exhibitions and 10 exhibitions at Artspace (Griffith Regional Theatre) and Griffith City Council Foyer. These exhibitions comprised of touring exhibitions (Bald Archy, Operation Art, Parliament of NSW Aboriginal Art Prize), exhibitions by local artists (Rustica - Catherine Stewart, Men’s Business) and community exhibitions (Faces of Griffith, Flower Power). The Gallery has seen a 43% increase of attendance with over 30,000 people viewing exhibitions at Artspace and Griffith City Council Foyer. With the appointment of the Public Programs Officer in June 2011, the Gallery has delivered a diverse public program calendar including school holiday workshops, workshops for 0-5 years, master classes in printmaking, artist talks, untutored life drawing classes and jazz and classical music Sundays. These public programs have been popular and well attended with some workshops taking waiting lists. The Gallery has worked in partnership with Griffith Connections for the public programs for children and young people and received CASP funding through Regional Arts NSW for master classes.The Gallery has an active group of volunteers who assist staff with the day to day operations. They are the friendly faces that greet visitors on arrival, assist children and young people during workshops and school visits. Without their support, the Gallery would not be able to deliver the diverse range of projects it currently does.

2011/12 saw Griffith Regional Theatre (GRT) hosting an outstanding artistic program, embraced by audiences. The variety and mix of professional theatre, both locally made and sourced from around the country has provided an amazing array of interesting material and talent to showcase. It was a year in which the focus was on ensuring the financial sustainability of programs while continuing to deliver a rich range of experiences. The attendance at GRT in 2011/12 was 34,493 which is a pleasing increase from 2010/11 of 29,190, attributed to an increased number of community performances.This year’s season launch was redesigned to make the evening more entertaining and was well supported with over 300 patrons in attendance.GRT also worked in conjunction with Outback Theatre for Young People to engage young people to make distinctive, contemporary, relevant and innovative theatre resulting in a performance held in June.Highlights of performances presented by GRT includes The Australian Ballet, Namatjira, Melbourne Comedy Festival and James and the Giant Peach. Community bookings continue to increase with Marian Catholic College’s production of FAME being one of the most successful community performances with over 1,800 patrons attending.Sponsors for Season 2011/12 include WIN TV Griffith, STAR FM / Radio 2RG, The Area News and Casella Wines. Show sponsors include Centrepoint Apartments and Pinnacle Accounting. Our Education Program continued to grow, with school performances being exctremely successful. Over 3,000 students attended the Theatre, with some of these tickets being subsidised by Connect Ed Funding.

Griffith Regional Theatre

Griffith City Council1 Benerembah Street, PO Box 485 Griffith NSW 2680Ph: 6962 8100 F: 6962 7161admin@griffith.nsw.gov.auwww.griffith.nsw.gov.au

Office Hours: 8.15am - 4pm, Monday - FridayGeneral Enquiries(Health, Building, Planning, Development, Roads, Waste, Drainage, Rates, Water, Sewer etc) 6962 8100

Contact Numbers:Fleet 6961 8301Purchasing 6961 8302Store 6961 8311Workshop 6961 8342Aerodrome 6962 2563Animal Control 0408 210 196Art Gallery 6962 5991Aquatic Centre 6964 7071

Cemetery 6964 3642Library 6962 2515Saleyards 6962 2587Parks & Gardens 6962 3933Pioneer Park 6962 4196Stadium 6962 5353Theatre 6962 8444Landfill 6963 6491Visitors Centre 6962 4145

Pioneer Park MusemPioneer Park Museum has enjoyed some extremely positive results over the last year. The Museum’s major events have been popular with Action Day during Easter producing the highest attendance for number of years. Another important milestone was the Museum’s 40th Anniversary Celebrated during 2011. The longevity of the facility can be attributed to various reasons including support from the local community, Griffith City Council, Art NSW (Major Project Funding), committed staff but most importantly, the contribution of a loyal, enthusiastic and active volunteer base. These people have been acknowledged and commended for their continued assistance to such a valuable community facility. The Museum is host to a number of community organisations such as Pioneer Park Museum Playgroup, Local Artists, Craft group and Wine Club. These groups have based their activities at the Museum and Council continues to encourage, where possible, other community groups to utilise this valuable local asset. Pioneer Park continues to develop with on going upgrading of exhibition areas including the Italian Museum, planning for expansion of Aboriginal Histories and New Entrance/Visitor Centre for the complex. Also, a review of educational resources for school children and study groups are priorities.Future projects also being undertaken involve the completion of the Wine Centre, construction of a purpose built building to accommodate the Todd Collection of horse drawn and motorised vehicles. The long term planning for this facility will undoubtedly strengthen the viability of the operation whilst also preserving the regions local history for future generations.

CommuncationsMajor Achievements

• Launched the improved Griffith City Council website and associated domains (Griffith Regional Theatre, Griffith Regional Art Gallery, Griffith Regional Aquatic Leisure Centre and Pioneer Park Museum).• Assisted in the design, development and launch of Visit Griffith website. • Over 110,000 people visit the Council website.• Pivotal point of contact during the 2012 Flood Event, assisting Council and the State Emergency Service with the preparation and distribution of community updates.• Launched Council social media presence during the March 2012 Flood Event to assist in the correct and timely dissemination of critical information. • Council now has close to 1,000 likes on Facebook and continues to utlise social media to communicate with residents. • Improved internal communications via the development of a staff extranet and staff newsletter.• Over 140 media releases prepared and distributed.• Council’s Corporate Communications Officer received a nomination for Outstanding Individual Contribution to Communication as part of the RH Dougherty Awards.

Migrant Settlement ServicesMajor Achievements

Griffith City Council receives funding from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to deliver the Settlement Grants Program. Migrant Settlement Services provides referral, information, advocacy and case management services to individuals and families having arrived in Australia on a permanent visa within the past 5 years. The Settlement Services Team Leader is ably supported by the Bi-lingual Community Workers assisting the Afghani, Turkish, Indian and Pacific Islander communities. This service is funded by the Community Relations Commission. Both services operate on either an appointment based system or drop-in service. These services are instrumental in organising community forums, information sessions and cultural awareness training for service providers, the general community and people from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background.

Major Achievements Griffith City Council has actively worked with residents and business in developing the Growing Griffith 2030. Communication has advanced incorporating social media and on-line consultation into mainstream services.Awareness and harm minimisation strategies were the focus behind many programs. Falls prevention, alcohol and other drug misuse, crime prevention and activities featured in key target events such as Carers Week, International Womens Day, NAIDOC week, Sorry Day, Youth Week, Festival of Children and Community Drug Action Week events.SmArt was accessed by approximately 3000 young people in a variety of creative arts, physical activity and professional development in leadership. SmArt provided access to programs such as Impro Theatre Sports, Indigenous Dance, Hip Hop and Multimedia programs such as Get Postered at the Skate Park and enabled young people to

develop circus skills and participate in creative performances at numerous community events.Girls Get Active saw 11 female sports professionals from cricket, basketball, netball, tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, touch football, AFL, gymnastics and baseball, speak to female students from 10 schools to highlight opportunities and benefits of participation in sports. Successful outcomes in Aboriginal employment was a highlight with strong partnerships with the Murambul Yuganha program, DEEWR and Employment Services. Employment and health expos were held and supported by peak sporting bodies and government departments strengthening community participation and awareness. The Community Donations grants provided funds to 16 local communities groups to deliver programs that addressed identified areas in the Community Action.

Community Development

Griffith Visitor Information CentreGriffith Visitor Information Centre has again had a busy and productive year. • The Bookeasy booking system used by the Visitors Centre has been extremely well supported with visitors booking their accommodation online and in advance.• Visitor numbers for the year - 273,000• Visitors stayed for approx 469,000 nights• 32% overnight visitors stayed with friends and relatives• Visitors spent approx $73M in the local economy• 35,950 visitors attended the Griffith Visitor’s Information Centre• 24.3% of these visitors were on holidays• 38.2% of these visitors came to see family and or friends• 32.1% of these visitors came for business• Of the 4.4% other visitors came for other reasons including sports events • Griffith Festival of Gardens and La Festa brought many visitors to town during October and April, with Spring and Autumn being the busiest times of year. October saw over 6,000 people attend the Visitors Centre.

pool hall. Daniel DeValentin, a lifeguard at the Centre, spent close to two weeks completing the exceptional artworks.The future will see added services including children’s play equipment, outdoor barbecues, installation of power saving equipment and extra heating for all the pools during the winter months. We are aiming to achieve these goals by sourcing external funding.

Environment & HealthMajor Achievements

• During December 2011, Council received a $566,000 grant to implement Griffith’s Healthy Communities Initiative. 2012/13 will see the implementation of the program. • Conducted over 200 inspections of onsite sewerage management systems in flood affected areas• Monitored 139 food outlets with 302 inspections carried out• Developed and distributed factsheets including informaiton on flooding, rodents.• Produced the 2012 Food Safety Calendar• Yearly inspections of beauticians, hairdressers and tatooists• Conducted 142 cooling tower inspections• Monitored the quality of public pool water• Conducted a mosquito monitoring program. 21 arboviruses were detected and one of the largest catches in the history of the program with 18,802 mosquitoes trapped in one night. • Regular sampling of Lake Wyangan• 1000 volunteers at 24 sites for Clean Up Australia Day• 70 volunteers at the Annual Clean Up• Home Water Tune Up project received a Water Conservation Award and Griffith placed second overall in the 2012 Tidy Towns Awards. • National Tree Day saw 220 natives planted by volunteers at Yenda Public School.

Griffith Regional Aquatic Leisure CentreThe focus of the Centre Management during 2011/12 was to provide a finanically sustainable facility while maintaining exceptional customer service. In excess of $200,000 was saved last financial year and staff are working towards bettering this figure for 2012/13.Over 80,000 people utilised the Centre last year with just under 5,000 students accessing Splash Swim School. The Centre was given a facelift and new murals were painted in the

Urban Water Supply

Sewerage Services

Major Achievements • October 2011 saw the third and final year of the Kerbside Bulky Waste collection with a total of 504.64 tonnes of Bulky Waste collected over the 3 year period.• To offset the cancellation of the Kerbside Bulky Waste collection, Council introduced 2 “Dump for Free Weekends”. These weekends will coincide with the Clean-up Australia Day and the Tidy Town evaluation week. • The first “Dump for Free Weekend” was held during August 2012. Over the weekend a total of 987 residents took advantage of the free admission into both Council’s Waste Management Centres. • The “Dump for Free Weekend” was a great success, providing a great platform for future free weekends.• The Kerbside Recyclable collection has been operational for 4 years there has been a continued strong community realisation of the importance of recycling. • Evidence of this is in the amount of recyclable materials collected and recycled. Below is a graph showing the tonnages collected over the 4 year period.

• Council is committed to providing residents that do not have access to kerbside recycling the opportunity to recycle by subsidising drop off bins at Griffith Recycling (Hams Street).• Over the last 12 months, Council introduced a Commercial Kerbside Recycling Collection service and made it available to all existing Council Commercial customers. • Council remains a member of the RAMROC (Riverina Waste Group), and supports a number of community and school education initiatives that bring recycling and waste issues into local schools. Local schools are invited to join the program which is fully resourced and funded by RAMROC (Riverina Waste Group).

Waste Management

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Major Achievements • Yambil St Drainage Upgrade and Diversion (Capital Work Project)Council obtained a $1.8M interest free loan from the Department of Planning under the Local Infrastructure Fund program to carry out the project. The project is expected to provide the business outlets and the residents around Yambil St – Ulong St roundabout area with a much needed relief from flooding. • Griffith Floodplain Risk Management Study and PlanCouncil completed the study and plan in December 2011. The Report has recommended a number of structural and planning flood mitigation measures across the Main Drain J catchment. Council has already put planning measures in place. The recently completed ‘Yambil St Drainage Upgrade and Diversion’ project was one of several structural measures recommended in the Plan. Following the March 2012 flood, Council has commenced the ‘Review of Griffith Floodplain

Risk Management Study and Plan (FRMS&P)’. • Griffith CBD Catchment Overland Flow Flood StudyThis study was completed in March 2012. The study concluded that the CBD flooding is mainly caused by the limited hydraulic capacity of the drainage network and identified a need for the detailed hydraulic modelling of the network with upgrade options and a better establishment of hydraulic and hazard categories. • Griffith CBD Catchment Overland Flow Floodplain Risk Management Study and PlanCouncil was successful in obtaining funding from the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) under State’s Floodplain Management Program to carry out the Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan for the CBD catchment. WMA Water has been commissioned to undertake the project with the aim of identifying and evaluating a number of flood mitigation measures, both structural and planning to provide Council with recommendations to

address the flooding issues across the CBD area.• Lake Wyangan Flood StudyCouncil completed the study in March 2012. The study found that the majority of the catchment runoff flows to Tharbogang Swamp rather than Lake Wyangan. The study further identified local overland flow paths which can have an impact on the future development of the Lake Wyangan catchment. • Lake Wyangan Floodplain Risk Management Study & PlanCouncil was successful in obtaining funding from the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) under State’s Floodplain Management Program to carry out the Lake Wyangan floodplain risk management study and plan. Council has commissioned BMT WBM to undertake the project. The project will identify and evaluate a number of flood mitigation measures both structural and planning and provide Council with recommendations to address the flooding issues across the Lake Wyangan area.

Major Achievements Construction

Oakes Rd Reconstruction $245,554

Wyangan/Ortella St roundabout $107,092 Boonah/Macarthur St roundabout $244,070Murrumbidge/Beaumont Rd intersection treatment

$ 35,332

MR321 Kidman Way/Stafford Rd intersection treatment

$ 29,989

MR254 rehabilitation & widen shoulder

$ 52,507

MR321 rehabilitation & widen shoulder

$ 96,192

Flood Emergency Works March 2012 Event

$1,158,411

Flood Restoration Works - Local Roads

$ 65,709

Flood Emergency Works December 2010 Event

Old Willbriggie Rd, Kurrajong Ave, Condon Rd, Beaumont Rd, Whitton Stock Route, Myall Park Rd, North Kooba Settlers Rd

$ 404,588

Maintenance Sealed - Urban, Rural, Regional & Main Roads

$1,212,510

Unsealed - Urban & Rural $1,374,123Reseals - Urban, Rural, Regional & Main Roads

$1,049,228

Gravel Resheeting $ 757,739Footpath Maintenance $ 18,761Reseals (Area m2)

RMS Main Roads 69,928 m2Regional Roads Reseals 5,900 m2Local Road Reseals - Rural 138,189 m2Local Road Reseals - Urban 147,454 m2Primer Seals 12,126 m2Streetlighting

Boonah Macarthur Street - upgrade $ 34,655Paths and Pram Ramps

Wakaden Street 640m $116,173Boonah Street 95m $ 16,497Various Pram Ramps $ 18,556Drainage

Yambil St Drainage (2011/12) $1,479,415Franco St Drainage $ 5,771Airport Upgrade

Terminal, Carpark & Apron $178,099

Stormwater & Floodplain Risk Management

Griffith Livestock Marketing Centre

Comparative Sales

Major Achievements

Griffith Cemetery• The new Roman Catholic (RC) Section 5 has garden beds constructed in line with existing landscaping. The Muslim section of garden now separates the two areas. More vaults constructed this year in RC-5. The Muslim section will have lawn and seating installed. The watering system has been completed.• Lawn 4 now has 108 interments and another beam is planned this year.• The Roman Catholic Section 3 has introduced single vaults which has proved popular, construction of a further 20 vaults is planned for this year.• Lawn 1 Ashes- two additional ash interment sections have been constructed creating approximately 60 interment plots.• A Reflection/ Flagpole Area is nearing completion, the area will have seating, gardens and a nine metre flagpole.• Lawn 5 has new gardens running parallel to McCudden Street the additional planting of Agapanthus is ongoing.Yenda Cemetery• Following the recent flood event, Yenda Cemetery suffered considerable damage. The entrance road has now been reconstructed. New plantings have taken place.

Cemeteries Parks, Reserves & SportsgroundsMajor Achievements

• Completion of City Park.• Ted Scobie Oval - landscaping , playground and car park has been completed.• Ted Scobie Oval - upgrade of playing surface including top dressing and seeding of junior soccer grounds• Wade Park Sportsground - upgrade of the security doors to the amenities buildings.• West End Oval- upgrade of the oval sprinkler system.• New signage placed at various parks and sportsgrounds.• Hanwood Oval upgrade of electricity supply to the oval floodlights.

Major AchievementsOver the past year a number of significant activities relating to wastewater were undertaken including:• Completion of the new Griffith Water Reclamation Plant. This $26M plant is a state of the art Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) facility that was commissioned in March / April 2012 and will treat all of the City’s wastewater to a very

high level, meeting all current EPA standards and providing significant growth capacity for the future. The facility was officially opened on 15th August 2012.• Completion of an annual sewer relining program at various locations throughout the city totalling 1,846mCouncil received a total of 4 odour complaints during 2011/12 up 2 from 2010/11.

Economic DevelopmentMajor Achievements

The Economic Development unit has seen an increase in business activity and investor confidence in the last twelve months with significant expansion for local business including:• Casella Wines• Baiada • ProTen• Bronzewing Cartridges• RDAF Round 1 Airport funding for expansionOther projects include:• Business Breakfast introducing General Manager Brett Stonestreet• Regional Workforce Forum and Western Riverina Workforce Development Strategy• Completion of Strengthening Riverina Communities Project• Adoption of Economic Development Strategy• International Relations Strategic Plan 2012• Received a number of high profile Chinese delegations• Lobbying and meetings with National Broadband Network Co• Participation in Country Change program - Victoria & Rosehill attraction of new families and skilled workers

Fleet Management

Major Achievements Council’s plant and vehicles are generally in good condition and are regularly maintained. Council has in place an annual plant replacement program aimed at replacing plant and vehicles before they reach the end of their economic lifespan.Fleet and the EnvironmentCouncil has introduced a policy where passenger vehicles with a green rating of less than 5 are not to be purchased. Council continues to use Envirolube in its fleet which is a re refined product. Works DepotWork is continuing on the Depot Redevelopment Master Plan, which

is proposed to be a staged redevelopment of the entire Jensen Road Works DepotNew plant and equipment purchased during the last financial year includes:• 8 x Passenger Sedans• 3 x utilities• 1 x 18 tonne vibratory roller• 1 x Multi tyred roller• 4 x Zero turn out mowers• 1 x 3 point linkage flail mower• 1x Fork Lift• 1 x Tipping Truck• 1 x Mini Excavator• 1 x Electric Eel• 1 x Tipping Trailer

Major Achievements The number of Determined Development Applications (including Complying Development Certificates) for 2011/12 was 235 with works valued at $35.3M compared to 2010/11 which saw 319 applications with works valued at $89.9MListed below are commercial/Industrial developments determined during the last 12 months valued over $200,000• Restaurant with drive thru facilities, Cnr Oakes Rd & Jondaryan Rd, Griffith $1,831,698• Tank farm, Mirrool Ave, Yenda $2M• Increase in production capacity of a brewery Wakley Rd, Yenda $5M• Transportable building for use as a professional office, Battista St, Griffith $260,000• New industrial building, Lenehan Rd, Griffith $350,000• Covered area, Poole St, Griffith $260,000• Establishment of a manufacturing facility, Doug McWilliam Rd, Yenda $250,000• Construction of a warehouse, Mirrool Ave Yenda $400,000• Construction of a depot & associated structures, Sangster Cres Hanwood $220,000City ParkCity Park was completed 95% and is fully operational. Outstanding items include more park furniture and possible improved lighting.Nancy Blumer MonumentThe restoration process has started and will be completed in 2012/13.Detheridge Wheel MonumentThe restoration process has been fully completed.

Sustainable Development New Rural Fire Services BuildingThe construction is 70% complete.New Airport FacilitiesThe planning and tender processes have been completed.Flood Assistance200 additional health inspections were completed during and after the flood event to ensure that health standards are maintained to a satisfactory level.

Griffith AirportMajor Achievements

February 2012 saw the commencement of the apron upgrade which allows access to the airport by more and larger aircraft. As a result of the widespread flooding, here and in Wagga, Council was unable to obtain asphalt which caused delays. Regional Express withdrew the Griffith/ Melbourne service as of 1 July following disappointing passenger numbers.Since then, there has been no Griffith/ Melbourne passenger services. Council has been engaged in negotiations with another carrier to resume these services, and are hopeful these services will resume in the near future.All four agricultural aerial services operators based at the airport are looking forward to another healthy year as a result of recent rainfall.Passenger numbers:Sydney: 2010/11 - 60,512 2011/12 - 59,511Melbourne2010/11 - 8,722 2011/12 - 9,026While passenger numbers for Sydney dropped from the previous year, numbers for Melbourne increased by 300.

Major Achievements

Over the past year a number of activities relating to improving the water supply, quality and Council water assets have occurred including:• Capital renewals at the Griffith Water Treatment Plant including replacement of backwash valves, actuators and recycle pumps• The completion of Stage 1 construction of a new 450mm trunk main commencing at Bridge Rd and ending at Oakes Rd (750m)• Replacement of a water main in Beverely Rd (755m)• Several new mains in the Old Willbriggie Rd area to improve flow and reliability (440m) • Replacement of urban water mains including Binya St, Noorla St Griffith and Battachio Ln Yenda.• Water main replacements at locations of major road works have included the Ortella St and Boonah St roundabouts.• Water meter replacements have continued with 1540 water meters being replaced during 2011/12. • Major re-plumbing of the Griffith to Yenda watermain and reservoir to allow direct feed from Griffith to the Yenda reservoir, including a re-chlorination station to improve disinfection capacity at YendaWater UsageTotal metered consumption increased from 4,829ML in 2010-11 to 5,820ML in 2011-12

Home Tune Up ProgramA Federal grant received in 2010 allowed a more focused water savings scheme targeting ‘Home Tune-up’ inspections with incentives for the replacement of shower heads and toilets. This scheme has been very popular with 1,229 inspections completed, 1,426 showers installed and 295 toilets replaced.

• Bill Raymond Recreational Reserve - installation of a barbecue shelter, including a park table and seating set.• Lake Wyangan Picnic Area - upgrade of the drainage outlet along the northern end of the picnic area.• Collina subdivision - new street trees planted.• Clifton Boulevard - upgrade of medians including new plants and woodchips.• Tree maintenance, including removal of dead or dangerous trees and replanting of new street trees. • Memorial Park - installation of drinking water bubbler and bottle fill station.• Jubilee Park - Upgrade of two netball courts, resurface and goal post replacement. Repairs to flood lights completed.

Roads