Coffs Harbour City Council’s expertise in growing the region’s economy, its community and the essential services necessary for sustainable development was recognised recently when it won the Local Government Managers Association (LGMA) Building NSW Regions Award 2009.
“This is a great accolade for Council as it is judged by our peers within Local Government in the State,” said Stephen Sawtell, Council’s General Manager who received the award at the LGMA conference in Sydney. “Balance has been a watchword for Council for many years. As a prime seachange destination, our population is forecast to grow to 100,000 by 2030.
“As a result, we have to ensure we can continue to offer the quality lifestyle that our area’s current and future residents can enjoy, while making sure that we can provide a sustainable economy and the essential services that are vital to underpin that growth. Those challenges have led us to develop innovative strategies to meet these very real challenges and it’s great to see that leadership and forward thinking recognised like this.”
The LGMA judges looked at the major milestones in water, sewer and transport infrastructure completed by Council in the past year. These include:
- the $96 million Water Reclamation
Plant capable of providing 21 megalitres
of reclaimed water for agriculture daily
during dry weather flows - the $59 million Water Filtration Plant with
the capacity to treat 42 megalitres of water a
day - the $99 million 30,000 megalitre Shannon
Creek Dam to provide a secure water
supply the $1 million security upgrade to
Coffs Harbour Regional Airport.
Council’s wide ranging economic initiatives to help strengthen the region’s local economy were also a major part of the award submission. Among the projects currently being pursued by Council’s Economic Development Unit are:
- the establishment of a local Food Futures
Alliance to develop a strong local food
economy based on sustainable agricultural
practices - partnerships with business, industry and
education and training providers to identify
and fill skills shortages - actively attracting new residents,
professionals and businesses to the area
via job and industry specific websites.
“Council’s entire focus is on sustainability. The projects that helped secure us this award are just some of the many ways in which we continue to grow the Coffs Harbour community,” Stephen Sawtell said.
