Video: ABC News story from 2010 about State Government growth plan for Mount Barker

For Mount Barker, significant investment by the State Government in critical infrastructure and community services is essential to underpin rapid population growth.

Currently at around 40,000 people, the population of the Mount Barker district is estimated to reach 60,000 in around 15 years and ultimately between 75,000 and 80,000.

Transport infrastructure, a new hospital and commitment to addressing the many issues Council faces as a result of the rapid development that has occurred since 1,300 hectares of land in Mount Barker was rezoned in 2010 by the state government.

Council wants action from the State Government on an inadequate road system, including a vital connector road – Heysen Boulevard - which has been under construction in piecemeal fashion since 2014.

The State Government also must commit to a ministerial deed signed in 2012 which identified 38 road-related projects in the area required due to growth.

Only 13 of the 38 projects have been fully or partially completed, despite Mount Barker welcoming around 8000 new residents since 2010.

19 May 2022

Mount Barker District Council is progressing with delivery of the regional aquatic and leisure centre after appointing DesignInc as lead Architect for the project.

As lead architect, DesignInc will lead the design team, and guide the community engagement through the Community Reference Group and other activities proposed in their design bid.

Mayor Ann Ferguson said the Council’s evaluation panel considered DesignInc to be the most experienced and capable firm for the specified services.

“DesignInc stood out with extensive experience creating leisure and swimming facilities, including the Mount Gambier Indoor Aquatic Facility, Campbelltown Leisure Centre and George Bolton Swimming Centre at Burnside.

“We’re confident this appointment will deliver our community a high quality, value for money facility that reflects the needs of the Mount Barker community, surrounding areas and its visitors”.

Manager Strategic Projects and Economic Development, Luke Gray said, “The appointment of the Lead Architect is a significant milestone and signals the commencement of design work in earnest.

“We look forward to working with DesignInc to design an innovative facility that includes a strong collaborative process with the community and stakeholders producing an outstanding centre that will deliver the best outcomes for our residents and ratepayers well into the future."

The regional aquatic and leisure centre project has been co-funded by the Government of South Australia’s Local Government Infrastructure Partnership Program and Australian Government's Community Development Grant Scheme.

Construction is targeted to commence in May 2023 with completion by October 2024.

13 May 2022

Mount Barker District Council’s wastewater treatment plant on Springs Road currently services the townships of Mount Barker, Littlehampton, Nairne and Brukunga, and is the largest council operated wastewater treatment facility in South Australia.

To cater for existing and future flows, the plant is being upgraded in the area previously occupied by the eastern storage lagoon.

The Council is preparing to put to the open market the procurement of a wastewater treatment plant in Mount Barker to service existing customers and growth.

The proposed timing for market release is June 2022.

The procurement will be issued via VendorPanel Marketplace which is an online quoting/tendering platform used by the council.

“This is a really important and exciting project and when completed, the new wastewater treatment plant will be a significant investment in the future of the district’s wastewater and recycled water network.” Mayor Ferguson added.

4 May 2022

Detailed designs to upgrade a major intersection in Meadows have now been completed.

Following community consultation from the Township Plan, the intersection of Mawson, Battunga and Nottage Roads, along with the section of Nottage Road from the intersection to the Hayfield development, have been identified as community priorities for improving vehicle and pedestrian safety in the Meadows Township.

“Our local community are looking forward to the development of this project and the benefits these treatments will have for the Meadows Township,” Mayor Ann Ferguson said.

The intersection upgrade includes new footpaths, landscaping, lighting, stormwater upgrades, pedestrian refuges and crossings, and appropriate access for residents and businesses.

The entire project is intended to be funded by contributions from developers, Council and State government. Mawson and Battunga Roads are under the care and control of Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) whereas Nottage Road is Council owned and maintained.

“Since both Mawson and Battunga Roads are a DIT responsibility, Council is seeking funding contributions from them for the upgrade,” Mayor Ferguson added.

“As soon as we receive final endorsement from State government we will start construction, which we anticipate to begin in spring/summer 2022”.

3 May 2022

Mount Barker District Council has recieved $1.377 million in Federal grant funding to deliver of a 3 year disaster preparedness program across the district.

The Federal Governemnt’s Preparing Australian Communities grant program provides funding to communities for projects that will help them to be better prepared for future disasters and lessen the impacts of disasters should they occur.

Called Fire to Flourish Council’s program includes offering education, information and advice to landholders to improve fuel load management, working with community groups to develop and implement emergency response plans, training staff to understand and respond to trauma in communities, to work with our indigenous community on land and fire management strategies, as well as improve roadside vegetation management.

“Thanks to this grant funding, our community will have the ability to withstand and recover from disaster and be better connected with local networks” Mayor Ann Ferguson said,

“We hope that through this program, people who are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of emergencies in our community will become more disaster resilient by being linked to these networks.”

The funding is for a 3 year program with 5 new dedicated positions funded by the grant, to work with towns and communities on emergency resilience activities to compliment the work of non-government agencies such as Red Cross.

3 May 2022

Seventeen local community organisations will share nearly $35,000 in funding in the second round of community grants, and five environmental groups will share $10,000 from the environmental grants program.

Mount Barker District Council offers two rounds of community grants and one round of environmental grants each financial year.

The grant programs support non-profit community organisations to develop and deliver projects and programs which benefit, enhance and meet the needs of the community or benefit the local and regional environment.

Mount Barker District Council Mayor Ann Ferguson said the Community and Environmental Grant programs help community organisations deliver services and activities that benefit the broader community, and fosters partnerships between community organisations and Council.

“Once again we saw a wide range of funding applications that included community services, social welfare, arts, culture and heritage, wellbeing, access, health, recreation and youth programs.”

A wide range of projects benefitting the community have received funding from the latest round of grants including:

Development of a vegetable garden on the TAFESA site by the Adelaide Hills Vocational College with the produce from the garden used to provide healthy food for the young people enrolled at the college;

A dirt starting track adjacent to the new pump track at the Callington Recreation Park;

A Media Lab in association with the Mount Barker Community Library where people can get involved in a range of media projects like film making, photography, audio recording and music composition;

Safety, monitoring and rescue equipment to support wildlife rescue and care in Mount Barker; and

Exotic tree management as part of the Nairne Creek restoration.

"We are really keen to connect with our community and support projects and initiatives that are community led” Ms Ferguson said, “It is fantastic to see so many wonderful ideas that communities are coming up with to improve their local area through planned assistance and equitable distribution of limited funding from council.”

2 May 2022

Mount Barker District Council is a member of the Food Systems Working Group (FSWG) which includes 8 other South Australian councils, Green Adelaide, Wellbeing SA and the Heart Foundation.

The term ‘food system’ describes the various elements that go into growing, production, marketing, distribution, consumption and disposal of food.

In 2020, the FSWG was successful in winning a Local Government Association Research and Development Grant to help better understand local food systems and prepare a guide for councils to support and strengthen such systems.

Mount Barker was the second of four councils to host an Our Local Food Systems workshop as part of the project. Workshops were also held by Onkaparinga, Alexandrina and Marion Councils.

The workshop in Mount Barker was attended by 35 people from the community and was supported by the project consultants and staff from participating councils and Green Adelaide.

Mount Barker Mayor, Ann Ferguson said: “It was clear from the workshop that there is a role for everyone to play in building a healthy and sustainable food system in the Mount Barker region, and there is strong interest and goodwill in working together to do this.”

“Individuals can become a food citizen by making conscious decisions about what and where they eat. Ms Ferguson added,

“Community groups and organisations can help to create resilient local food systems by being involved in activities such as community gardens, cooking programs, food education and other opportunities identified in the key vision themes from the workshop.

“There are already many projects and activities that occur throughout the district and region that align with the visions, themes and actions discussed at the workshop. A key next step for Council is to begin to raise awareness of these projects through further mapping and ongoing engagement.”

A report from the Mount Barker workshop is available on the Council’s website www.mountbarker.sa.gov.au/community/food-safety/food-systems-project

4 April 2022

Mount Barker District Council’s existing Transport Master Plan was adopted in 2009 just prior to the rezoning of 1300 hectares of arable land in the township.

Mayor Ann Ferguson said the 2009 transport plan has served the community well with many actions completed that supported future growth such as the Bald Hills Road interchange.

Over the last decade the district has seen considerable population growth which is expected to continue for the next 15-20 years, transforming the town of Mount Barker into the second biggest urban centre in South Australia.

“The district road network and associated transportation services need to adapt to the increased demands resulting from growth and community expectations, Ms Ferguson added.

The Council’s strategy sets the foundations for the development of an Integrated Transport Plan with the community invited to contribute and comment on the content.

Six core themes have been developed to underpin Council’s vision for Transport: Road Network Management, Active Transport, Road Safety, Parking, Public Transport, and Technology and Innovation.

When completed the transport strategy will guide the development of the Integrated Transport Plan and associated actions.

“We want to make sure transport infrastructure aligns with growth in the district, enhances the connectivity of our community, encourages active transport, supports the safe and efficient movement of traffic both within the district and between regions, promotes the use of public transport and provides for future technologies in a sustainable way”, Phil Burton, General Manager Infrastructure said.

21 March 2022

Mount Barker District Council is developing an Arts Plan and are keen to hear from the community to discuss ideas, opportunities and priorities relating to the arts in the district.

When completed, the Arts Plan will identify priorities and provide the council with a roadmap to support the future development of the arts in Mount Barker.

“Fostering a vibrant, creative arts environment plays a crucial role in creating social, educational and economic opportunities. Mayor Ann Ferguson said,

“Arts create an important sense of pride in our identity and community.”

Following a competitive process, the council has appointed consultants Play Your Part to undertake community engagement and develop the plan on behalf of Council.

Marc Voortman, General Manager Planning and Community said Play your Part stood out with extensive experience in arts, culture, community development, economic development, and tourism.

“We were especially pleased that they presented us with fresh and creative ways for undertaking community engagement and developing an Arts Plan for our district”.

A number of workshops are being held in March and April which are free to attend and open to anyone who lives and works in the region, and has an interest in the arts.

“We are keen to hear from our community to know how the arts can benefit local business and community organisations and help cultivate healthier and happy people, neighbourhoods and communities”, Mayor Ferguson added.

8 March 2022

Food waste will be saved from landfill thanks to a 6 month trial to help local businesses turn more of their food scraps into valuable compost.

As a result of findings from bin audits undertaken last year, which showed a high rate of food waste contamination in general waste destined for landfill, Mount Barker District Council established a food waste trial for participating businesses along Gawler Street, Mount Barker to help address the issue.

Eleven local businesses have put their hands up to participate in the program since it started on 26 October 2021.

“Recycling food waste is a powerful way to reduce waste to landfill, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve our reuse of products. I’m very proud of everyone involved and believe it has been a great success,” Mayor Ann Ferguson said.

“Over two tonnes of food waste has already been diverted from landfill thanks to the trial.

“What this trial has done is turn waste destined for landfill into a usable product, it is now getting made into valuable compost to be used by farmers and in gardens big and small”.

Positive outcomes indicate each bin is being used at a very high capacity with an average bin fill rate of 90%. Other data suggests a healthy participation rate with businesses putting their food waste bins out 75% of the time with very low visible contamination.

“There are real environmental and financial benefits to reducing waste to landfill and this trial is helping us reach a circular economy approach to waste management,” Dan Newson, Council’s Team Leader Technical Services, Maintenance and Operations said.

“We’ve received positive feedback from local businesses and will be organising a final street walk audit and follow-up survey at the end of the trial. From there we will provide a report to council with outcomes and recommendations from the trial”.