Council Comments

Mayoral Notes

January 22, 2021 By editor

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to another new and exciting year ahead. Have you been down to Templar Street lately? Doesn’t it look great! Very soon we will be starting new paving along the footpaths and this will be done in sections to alleviate the need to close big areas off to pedestrians. Street furniture and gardens will also be hot-on-the-heels as well.

This year will be a very busy one for our Shire with the development work soon to begin on our new residential estate, Goldridge. You may have heard the recent interest the Central West is getting with people wanting to move out of larger centres and move to places like Forbes where houses are more affordable and the lifestyle more desirable.

Our industrial land is also hot property at the moment and further development will be taking place at the Central West Industrial Park to ensure we meet the needs of consumers.

That’s all for this now. God Bless.
Your Mayor,
Phyllis Miller

Mayoral Notes

December 18, 2020 By editor

I do hope everyone has been busy shopping locally for the festive season. We are so lucky to have the amazing retailers we have here in town, there really is nothing you cannot get here in Forbes. I recently went into every shop to film them all for a promotion we have on Facebook and I couldn’t believe the selection out there to choose from, it really is amazing!

Our town is looking so fantastic at the moment and I encourage you all to take a drive around at night to see all the wonderful light displays we have installed throughout town; they are even down at Lions Park. We also have the Santa Koala Christmas story projected onto Town Hall, which is a must to take the kids to see.

I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year. I hope 2021 will be a better one for us all. Our farmers look like they have achieved a very successful harvest season after many not-so-successful seasons. I want to remind everyone to stay safe on the roads this holiday season, drive carefully and if you have had a drink please do not get behind the wheel of a car.

That’s all for this year. God Bless.

Your Mayor,
Phyllis Miller

Mayoral Notes

December 11, 2020 By editor

You can really feel the Christmas spirit in Forbes, can’t you? I’m loving all the shop windows dressed up and inviting people to shop in our wonderful town. This week we have shared a sneak peek on social media, inside all the wonderful retailers in town and what they have in store this Christmas. We really do have the best shopping in the state and I say we are the “retail hub” of the Central West.

Just an update on the Heated Pool. The initial prices have come in higher than budgeted for, so the project is now under-going re-scoping to fit within the budget. In the New Year we hope to have plans in place, and we will keep you updated as we progress.

This week we will be removing the Johnny Woods raised crossing. The structure is showing its age and has extensive damage. It is also dangerous in numerous ways especially during a flood. The concrete will be crushed and reused in the road base for future projects. This is all part of our Lake Forbes Activation Project and 2021.

Road safety is something I ask you all to keep in mind this Christmas and New Year period, I know a lot of you will be travelling to see family and friends over this time. Do not drink and drive, and if tired please pull over for a break and refresh before getting back behind the wheel.

That’s all for this week.
God Bless.

Mayoral Notes

December 4, 2020 By editor

It is wonderful to report Templar Street is now open and our new planter boxes are in place. Our teams have worked tirelessly to get it open this week and I thank them all for putting in the time and effort to get the job done. I also want to thank the businesses in the area for their patience whilst the work has been completed. I know it will take a little bit of time to get used to the nose in parking, but it will create a nicer environment for alfresco dining in the street. People will say “we don’t have any alfresco dining in the street” but as a Council we are looking ahead to the future and want to create spaces like this that benefit both residents, retailers and visitors alike.

I hope you all are ready to hit the shops here in Forbes this Christmas shopping period. I have popped into the shops this week and there are so many wonderful gifts out there to buy. No need to travel out of town, we have it all here in spades!

This week new shade sails over the sheep yards at the Central West Livestock Exchange have been installed, which was greatly appreciated on Tuesday with the 40-degree temperatures experienced out there. We thank the NSW Government for the grant funding that enabled us to buy and install these.

That’s all for this week.
God Bless.
Your Mayor, Phyllis Miller

Council Water Grid Agreement

December 4, 2020 By editor

Image credit: Adobe Stock

At last week’s Forbes Shire Council meeting the Centroc Water Grid Business Paper was pulled for further discussion by Councillors. The report provided Councillors with details of the Centroc Water Grid proposal between Central Tablelands Water, Parkes Shire Council and Forbes Shire Council. In this report a pipeline was proposed linking Gooloogong to Forbes, and then to form a part of the Central Tablelands County Council Water Supply to outlying towns of Parkes and beyond.

“Unfortunately, we had to defer the matter to our next Council Meeting to give our elected members time to fully understand the matter,” says Forbes Shire Council Mayor, Phyllis Miller OAM. “Everyone needs to understand what it means to Forbes and our water security. We are always willing to work with our neighbours, but not at the detriment of others.”

Council’s Manager of Water understands that the modelling did not allow for Council’s potential use of groundwater, or for the fact that in drought years Water NSW operates the system to minimise wastage and extends the existing water supplies for as long as possible, which is much longer than under normal allocation scenarios.

In addition, since the Millennium Drought, there have been changes to Water NSW’s water allocation assessments, factoring in three years of essential water supply when making its annual water allocation determinations. Council has also improved its security position in reducing demand by increasing the water usage charge and undertaking some water recycling works, maintaining its yearly usage at approximately 200ML less than the typical yearly usage used in the 2009 report. Council has also installed a third groundwater bore since that report and can now treat groundwater through both treatment trains at the Water Plant.

Forbes Shire Council will discuss the proposal at the next briefing with a report to come at the December Council meeting for Councillor’s to form a position.

Mayoral Notes

November 27, 2020 By editor

It is lovely to see the Christmas spirit is alive and well in Forbes with the decorations around town all installed and waiting to be turned on. It was unfortunate to have our new Christmas tree damaged in Albion Park by someone thinking they could climb it. This isn’t Christmas spirit, just stupidity that ruins the sense of Christmas for everybody. Next week the projections on Town Hall will be up, so make sure you bring the kiddies down to watch the story of Santa Koala play out on our beautiful Town Hall. We have had a very difficult few years, and I would like us all to stop and appreciate how lucky we are to live in this amazing town.

This week has been a busy one and you will have noticed that Templar Street has closed for the final stages of work. I want to thank everyone for their patience, this will look wonderful when it is complete.

You may have noticed work happening in Lion’s Park this week, this is where new playground equipment is going in. This will be a nice early Christmas present for the kids! There will be a new slide, roundabout, swings, and a surfboard. The shelter area is getting new tables and the old tables will be re-used around the park to provide additional seating and more trees will also be planted. We are so lucky to have this amazing area by the Lake.

Till next week, God Bless

Your Mayor
Phyllis Miller

Diverting Valuable Resources Away From Landfill

November 20, 2020 By editor

Forbes Shire Council is encouraging commercial and industrial businesses in the Shire to divert over 1,000 tonnes of food waste away from landfill each year and instead send organic food waste to Food Organics Garden Organics collections.

“We have some amazing businesses in Forbes, and we know how keen they are to ensure our environment is kept free of pollution,” says Forbes Shire Council Mayor, Phyllis Miller OAM. “Everyone has to be more environmentally aware these days and food organics really has no place in landfill when it can be used by being made into beautiful compostable soil for our farmers and for ourselves to use in our gardens.

“Council wants to provide businesses like cafes, butchers and supermarkets the recognition of taking part in FOGO by accrediting them. Businesses will have access to front and back of house signage, stickers and advertising material that shows their participation. We will also promote these businesses through our media channels.

“We really need to change the way we think about waste because if we don’t, our beautiful clean air will be no longer. The methane gases from decomposing food in our landfill is both toxic and can leach into our soils and groundwater. Given the waterways we have in and around Forbes this is definitely something we do not want to happen here!”

The FOGO business service is $123 per year for a 240-litre bin. Businesses can apply to have more than one bin and multiple pickups per week.

Call Council on 6850 2300 and ask to speak with the Waste and Environmental Specialist for more information.

Mayoral Notes

November 13, 2020 By editor

I would like to thank Deputy Mayor Chris Roylance for writing the column last week and attending a few meetings. I had a shoulder operation and I have tried to take it easy this past week, although I have been very busy on the phone, don’t you worry!

The Forbes Shire Council crew have been working hard on Templar Street. Last weekend the street was planned for closure Saturday afternoon and all-day Sunday to pull up the pavers, but the crew were able to complete the job on Saturday afternoon, which was brilliant! This week they are drilling underground to put in the cabling.

You may have noticed six new picnic tables and chairs around the Lake. Council was helped by Aruma services to install this wonderful new furniture around our much-used walking tracks around the Lake. They are positioned in some great spots for people to stop and have a rest or even a picnic.

I want to congratulate three of our young girls who were successful in being selected into the Wagga City Wanderers FC side.

I would like to congratulate Katie Schultz, Lilly Browne and Josie McKensie on their selection. Also, I want to commend the committee and Doug on their tireless effort and dedication to the sport, the parents and kids of Forbes and district thank you. You really have made soccer a truly wonderful sport for the kids to be involved in, not only through Winter, but all year round too!

God Bless.
Your Mayor, Phyllis Miller

Mayoral Notes

November 6, 2020 By editor

From this week’s Economic Meeting I can report Forbes Council is doing really well in regard to the state of our economy. There have been so many “bad news” stories in the media lately about councils in financial trouble and the general economy struggling, but I would like to tell you all Forbes is sitting ok in the scheme of things. Sure, businesses have had to pivot a little to make sure they can ride out the bumps in the road, and this shows how ingenious our businesses are.

I attended the Council’s Small Business Month breakfast last week and there was a room full of business owners who listened to Kristy Withers of Incy Interiors tell her stories of starting and operating a business in country NSW. The positivity in the room was amazing and great to see everyone come together to share their stories and provide advice where they can.

It also is the people in Forbes that makes us great and I ask you all to think about nominating someone for next year’s Australia Day Citizen of the Year Awards. Nomination forms can be found in Town Hall administration building, and on our website. Australia Day will be different next year with large crowds unable to gather, but I would like to encourage you all to celebrate our National Day with a BBQ, some friends and family around, and to tune into Facebook Live for the announcement of these awards.

Until next week, God bless.
Your Mayor,
Phyllis Miller

Templar Street To Close For Weekend Road Works

October 30, 2020 By editor

Forbes Shire Council has pushed ahead with the refurbishment of Templar Street with part road closures that were implemented on Wednesday, 28 October to Thursday, 29 October 2020. The whole of Templar Street will be closed to traffic during Sunday, 1 November, to enable the removal of the existing road base and preparation for the new base to be laid.

“The Northern side of the street, the Dentists side, was closed on Wednesday and Thursday while we removed the islands and pavers,” said Forbes Shire Council Mayor, Phyllis Miller OAM.

“This staged approach will ensure the least amount of disruption to our shopping district. Traffic control will be in place and we ask you be patient when in the area as there may be congestion.”

“On Sunday, the whole street will close, and the majority of the work can be done over the weekend, ensuring a minimal amount of disruption to trade and businesses. Our crews will be working around the beautiful trees we have existing in the street already and ensure they don’t receive any damage whilst the work is being carried out.”

“The current pavers will be crushed and then re-used in future road projects ensuring no waste will be incurred because of works being completed in Templar Street,” Phyllis said.

On Monday, 9 November the adjoining laneways of Collit and Meaghers Lane will have pedestrian diversions in place to enable Forbes Shire Council to install power in the vicinity.

The project is due for completion in December 2020. Forbes residents who require more information are encouraged to contact Forbes Shire Councils Major Projects Manager on 02 6850 2300.

Mayoral Notes

Mayoral Notes

Mayoral Notes

Mayoral Notes

Council Water Grid Agreement

Mayoral Notes

Diverting Valuable Resources Away From Landfill

Mayoral Notes

Mayoral Notes

Templar Street To Close For Weekend Road Works

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