Loddon Shire Mayoral Column 31 August
Published on 31 August 2021
Loddon Shire Community Grants Program – Group 2
At its August Meeting last week, Council endorsed the allocation of $61,251 in grants to Group 2 applications under the 2021/22 Loddon Shire Community Grants Scheme.
Eight applicants received funding – Boort Historical Society, Inglewood Bowling Club, Dunolly and District Field and Game Club, Woodstock-on-Loddon Tennis Club, Calivil United Football Netball Club, Serpentine Recreation Reserve Committee of Management, Wedderburn Golf Club and Wedderburn Open-Air Gallery Committee.
The Community Grants Group 1 allocations were endorsed at Council’s July Meeting.
Event Sponsorship – COVID Event Planning Support Program
At its meeting last week, Council also endorsed the establishment of a COVID event planning expenditure budget as well as an Event Sponsorship – COVID Event Planning Support Program.
The Event Sponsorship – COVID Event Planning Support Program is for events conducted up to 30 June 2022 that require a Tier 2 COVIDSafe Event Plan.
Under the Victorian Government’s COVID-19 Public Events Framework, a Tier 2 event involves between 1,001 to 7,500 attendees. (A Tier 1 event involves more than 7,500 attendees, while a Tier 3 event involves 1,000 or fewer attendees).
Tier 2 events have a higher degree of planning, with a COVIDSafe Event Plan to be developed. Increased activities during the event include security, COVID marshals, increased signage, and increased cleaning and sanitising.
The COVID Event Planning Program will provide sponsorship of $5,000 per Tier 2 event. This will be administered through the Smarty Grants platform.
Sponsorship will be provided where an organisation can demonstrate the requirement to operate as a Tier 2 event within the COVID-19 Public Events Framework and the application is received in advance of the event. Additionally, the event scheduled must be conducted prior to 30 June 2022 and any unspent funds are returned if the event does not proceed.
You can view the full report as well as the August Council Meeting Agenda and Minutes at Council's website.
Murray-Darling Healthy Rivers Program – Round 2
The second round of the Federal Government’s Murray-Darling Healthy Rivers Program is now open for applications.
The grants are an opportunity for communities to improve the health of rivers and wetlands. Community groups, farmers and landholders are encouraged to apply under the second grants round.
This round has both a large grants stream for grants valued between more than $100,000 and $2 million, in addition to a small grants stream for projects valued at $5,000 to $100,000.
The grants could fund a wide variety of projects from planting native seedlings along riverbanks to reduce erosion and provide habitat for native birds and animals, to controlling invasive species that threaten native species and farmers’ crops.
Large grants could be used for projects that have catchment-scale benefits, or higher value localised projects, such as installing fish ladders and culverts to allow native fish to travel throughout the whole river.
Applications for both small and large grants are now open and will close at 9pm, 6 October 2021.
To find out more please visit the website.
Little Lake Boort foreshore walking trail
Finally this week, I’d like to mention the completion of the Little Lake Boort foreshore walking trail.
The completion of the trail was made possible thanks to $50,000 in funding from the Victorian Government, as well as $10,000 from Healthy Heart of Victoria and $13,924 contributed by Council.
The project included a new 725-metre long, 1.5-metre-wide granite sand footpath from Federation Walk to Lake View Street, as well as edging and bollards installed at Lake View Street and the Croquet Club to restrict vehicle access to the foreshore.
The project also involved returfing, tree planting and installing a garden bed along the length of the eastern path.
These upgraded facilities will allow locals to walk, run or ride around the lake without having to cross main roads, improving accessibility for all, while promoting an active lifestyle and healthier communities.
As well as providing a great opportunity for our local community to be more active, the trail is also now eligible to host the Boort parkrun, a free, all-ages event in line with other parkrun events around Australia (COVID-19 restrictions permitting).