Despite the uncertainty of the proposed merger, council is committed to fulfilling the expectation of our $210 million budget for this financial year, which includes pursuing the development of Velocity Park and the associated second circuit.

There are also a number of major infrastructure projects underway including the construction of the new Kelso water reservoir which will service up to 4000 new residential lots, the construction of the new Rural Fire Service complex, extensive upgrade works at Bathurst Aerodrome and the construction of the Hereford Street rugby league fields.

Council is also determined to pursue our strategy around the continued development of our visitor economy and this took another step forward this week with the launch of a survey to help inform our development of a brand for the region.

In addition, by the end of the year council hopes to have our new Cultural Vision for the region adopted. 

These projects will help continue to shape Bathurst’s growth as a rapidly maturing, sophisticated regional centre.

It continues to be important for this council to provide quality services, infrastructure and amenity to cater for the predicted population growth over the next 20 years.

Our challenge is to ensure that all of these efforts combine to ensure we continue to have, and further develop, a liveable city with a high quality standard of living.

THIS week I have announced almost $40,000 in heritage grants to assist in the preservation and protection of key heritage sites and items throughout the Bathurst electorate.

Bathurst, Blayney, Oberon and Lithgow councils will all receive funding that will help communities protect, value and gather more information about their important local heritage.

The funding will also help councils implement their own grants programs and to secure the services of heritage advisers.

New highway patrol cars

CHIFLEY Local Area Command has received one of 28 new highway patrol vehicles rolled out in NSW in a bid to crack down on dangerous drivers and help towards achieving a zero road toll.

The new high visibility vehicles are being deployed to key crash hotspots on major routes and highways across the state.

Sadly, we are seeing an increase in fatal crashes right across the state - but, in particular, on regional roads.

To address this spike, many of the new vehicles will be rolled out in the bush, particularly on highways leading in and out of Sydney.

Service NSW extends hours

THE Service NSW Centre in Bathurst will extend its operating hours on Saturdays until 12.30pm from October 1.

The centre provides access to over 900 transactions from more than 40 government agencies.

Fish facts on the go

THE latest fishing news and information is now at our fingertips with the NSW Department of Primary Industries’ (DPI) “Fishsmart NSW” app available to download.

The new app provides fishers with a range of data including bag and size limits, fishing safety information and useful guides for reporting illegal fishing in NSW.

The app also includes weather, tides, moon phases, barometric pressure and other key fishing data, as well as regional fishing rules and a pictorial guide to identify NSW fish species.