Council News WAGGA WAGGA CITY COUNCIL
FIRST PRINTED SATURDAY 9 AUGUST 2014
Issue 6
Weekly information from us to you
Funbobulator for the win!
Wagga Wagga City Council was recognised at Thursday night’s NSW Local Government (LG) Week Awards ceremony held at Parliament House, taking out the Excellence in Communication Award for the creation and implementation of the Funbobulator to involve kids in the design of new and upgrade of existing playgrounds. Council’s re:generate Youth Festival and Neighbourhood Meetings program were also recognised as finalists in the same category. Rounding out a successful night, Nadine Crowley, Media and Communications Coordinator was a finalist in the category that recognises Outstanding Individual Contribution to Communications in Local Government. Council replaces four of its 90 playgrounds per year and was looking for a new way to get kids involved and recognised the importance of what this typically hard to reach
audience has to say on their local facilities. Council’s Media and Communications staff developed The Funbobulator a brand new ‘machine’ to design playgrounds which can only be operated by kids, or big kids at heart, and supported it with a print and online communication campaign and in person at Little Big Day Out, Council’s number one event for kids under 12. The Funbobulator provided a visual list of playground equipment along with their cost, and the kids of Wagga Wagga were asked to choose
what equipment they would like in the new playgrounds. The Funbobulator encouraged a greater scrutiny over each piece of equipments selection (and a greater understanding of Council’s own budgeting process) by not allowing the operator to go over the allocated budget for each park. This process also encouraged the kids to think carefully about what equipment they would like to see in their new playground. Judges of the RH Dougherty said The Funbobulator “has the unusual challenge of involving kids in a decision-making process, a great
strategy was developed and executed perfectly for the target audience. A truly innovative result within a very limited budget.This is democracy in action, and it’s fun!” F i f t y - f o u r communication initiatives from Councils across the State were nominated in the Local Government NSW’s RH
Dougherty Awards for Excellence in Communication and Reporting to Your Community categories. President of Local Government NSW, Cr Keith Rhoades AFSM, said that the standard of entries was exceptional and that the judges had Continued page 2
Wagga gets the once-over by Tidy Town Assessor
An Assessor from Keep Australia Beautiful has given Wagga Wagga the once-over this week as part of the annual Tidy Town Awards. The Assessor, Doug MacDonald (above), was welcomed by the Wagga Wagga Tidy Town Sustainable Community Committee and Council representatives at the Annual Community Award Presentation where Boree Ave in Brunslea Park was named Street of the Year. Wagga Wagga has been entered into the following Tidy Towns Award categories; Overall Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities, Cultural Heritage – Edel Quinn Restoration, Community Actions and Continued page 2