COMMUNITY

Local legend!

Hats off to Eumundi local Andy Chirnside, who decided to clean up the Albert St tunnel underpass. The underpass was looking decidedly unloved, with rubbish everywhere and broken glass littering the ground. We understand that a concerned Eumundi resident had contacted SCC, but not wanting to wait for the council, Andy swung into action and tidied up the eyesore. Well done, Andy – your community appreciates you!

Noosa Council’s direction

Noosa councillors endorsed the new Noosa Council Operational Plan 2025-2026 at the recent Ordinary Meeting. Among the Noosa Council priorities when delivering $51M in capital works is $9M for the Doonella Bridge rebuild.

Mayor Frank Wilkie said, “This councillorendorsed blueprint gives staff clear direction on how to progress the strategies and plans we’ve developed with extensive community consultation such as the Environment Strategy, Housing Strategy, Social Strategy, Transport Strategy, and the Noosa Plan 2020.”

CEO Larry Sengstock said the Operational Plan kept the council on track. “Progress on the delivery of our annual capital works program is reported to council on a quarterly basis, and to strengthen oversight and management we also have a Capital Works Executive.”

Included in the plan are partnering with state and community housing providers and industry to deliver affordable housing; investigating the feasibility of providing affordable housing above council-owned carparks; progress designs for the Beckmans Rd duplication; completing the Destination Management Plan and delivering upgrades to key sporting and community facilities. Visit: t.ly/2W0I8.

SCC Citizens’ Panel

SCC is establishing the Citizens’ Panel, a group of community members who will come together and deliberate on a range of complex problems and key issues.

Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the Citizens’ Panel was designed to gather input from people within the community who may not otherwise participate in engagement processes.

“We’re making a clear commitment: to listen better and to listen differently. The Citizens’ Panel will bring real, everyday experiences to the table, with all kinds of people deliberating on the big challenges for our region. The panel’s advice and feedback provided to council will help inform better and more inclusive decisions on behalf of the community.”

Council is working with Sortition, a trusted independent specialist, to assemble the panel. Selected by lottery, 10,000 households will receive an invitation letter to register. Anyone who lives in the household, and is aged over 16, can register their interest. Then 50 people who represent the different backgrounds and characteristics of our community, according to data, will be chosen.