It was a great pleasure to open a new $200,000 children's playground in Tarro this past weekend.
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Part of Council's playground renewal program to help strengthen young bodies and minds, the new-look play facility in Tarro Reserve was a hit with the youngsters, my 3-year-old son included, who took on the developmental challenges thoughtfully engineered into it. A 25-metre-long double platform flying fox and a giant swing were the obvious hits in the $196,000 upgrade. Newcastle City Council allocated $1.8 million for playground renewal and maintenance in the last financial year and has increased this to $2.22 million for 2017/18.
This year's renewal program includes four more upgrades: Bull and Tourle Street Reserve, Mayfield West; Grahame Park, Carrington; Smith Park, Hamilton North; and Wallsend Park. Council has taken great pains in recent years to get its finances in order to fund these community-building projects including the decision to offer property owners the option to receive rates notice by email. If we all received our rates this way, Council would save around $300,000 a year, enough to fund two playground upgrades.
I invite all rate payers with an email address to register on our website. Alternatively please email your details, including your property address, to mail@ncc.nsw.gov.au.
- Jeremy Bath is the interim chief executive of Newcastle City Council.