BERRI Barmera Council staff are preparing for what will be a busy 2021, as they work to complete a range of projects across the district.
After a year of delays and disruptions to works caused by COVID-19, council chief executive officer Karyn Burton said she was hoping staff could “go back to business as usual”.
“There was a lot of work we had to do with governance as far as closing public spaces, looking after our staff and moving council meetings online, so there was quite a diversion,” she said.
“Having said that, there has been lots of money available for councils as stimulus.
“That has limited the availability of local contractors though and has made it difficult to have projects finished within the timeframes set by the State and Federal Governments.”
Ms Burton said staff would focus on clearing the backlog of projects endorsed by council that have yet to be completed.
“We only have finite resources, so we need to concentrate on what our backlog has been,” she said.
“Everyone has grand visions for the future, but we need to meticulously work out what our priorities are and concentrate on getting things done.
“We need to temper what we do, but still deliver the projects the community wants.”
Council has endorsed several “big-ticket items” to be undertaken in 2021.
“We’re going to try and put an application in for State Government funding to build new changerooms for sporting clubs in Barmera,” Ms Burton said.
“We’re continuing with our ‘growth strategy’ and the master planning for Alan Glassey Park.
“That project was kicked off just prior to Christmas and will pick up again in a couple of weeks.
“There will also be a revitalisation or refurbishment of Apex Park (in Berri), which will be funded by money that we received from the Federal Government and is about a $300,000 project.
“(This) will include a pump track and other upgrades to make it more user-friendly.”
Ms Burton said some projects funded through the Federal Government’s Drought Communities Program were rolled over into 2021 after delays caused by COVID-19.
“For the Berri river-front swim steps we had issues getting a concreter for that project, so it will likely be completed in February or March,” she said.
“There will also be upgrades to the maze at the Monash Adventure Park.”
Council will also be looking at the next step for the delayed Berri river-front retrofit, with results from the latest round of public consultation expected to be tabled at this month’s ordinary meeting.
“Once the retrofit is done, we will look at consulting the public regarding the second stage of the redesign which is further along towards the caravan park,” Ms Burton said.
“That will happen a bit later, but we want to have the first stage done and dusted beforehand.”
Other projects expected to be completed in 2021 are the upgrades to Jury Road between Berri and Monash, and the Berri Oval grandstand changeroom project, which is currently out for tender.
Council will also continue with long-term projects such as the Lake Bonney Caring for Country Management Plan, and the CBD Revitalisation Plan for Berri and Barmera.
“We are going to try and implement a few of the projects from our CBD revitalisation plan, including the use of the Alfresco’s Café building on Vaughan Terrace and a concept plan for the William and Denny Street section of the Berri CBD,” Ms Burton said.
“That will include a full-blown consultation, with the local traders involved in that process.”
Waste management will also be a focus throughout the year, with the MRLGA waste management strategy for the region, due to be released in June, expected to identify savings for all three Riverland councils.