Changes in the CBD are just the beginning as project rolls out
THE Streets as Shared Spaces project has been taking shape in our CBD in recent months, with parklets constructed off Ribbon Gang Lane and street trees in planter boxes installed.
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The public art features of the project are now starting to take shape.
Artist Birrunga Wiradyuri spent last week working at BMEC painting a mural that will be installed at the post office building in Howick Street.
The canvas is 6m x 15m and it depicts a creation story. Its installation site is also a traditional Wiradyuri song line and Macquarie's Meridian - a spot that ties the history of our city together for both first nations peoples and European settlers.
The artwork will be installed in February.
Other public art features will also start appearing in the CBD in coming weeks, including lighting at the former TAFE building.
The Streets as Shared Spaces project has been funded through the NSW Government's Streets as Shared Spaces program.
Council has also received funding for some of the public art components through the NSW Government's Stronger Country Communities Fund.
Brett Whiteley exhibition
BATHURST Regional Art Gallery's Brett Whiteley: Drawing Is Everything exhibition is now into its final weeks.
The exhibition of 116 works includes landscapes of the Central West.
In a coup for the region, Bathurst is the only venue for this tour in the state, and one of only two venues in Australia; a reflection of the high regard in which Bathurst's cultural facilities are held.
To date, more than 8000 visitors have visited the gallery over the summer period and more than 60 per cent of those have been from outside the local area.
The exhibition will run at the gallery until Sunday, February 6.
Mayor Robert Taylor
The travel card's proved a hit - and now it's been given an extension
THE NSW Government's decision to extend the Regional Seniors Travel Card for two years is great news.
This initiative, which puts $250 in the pocket of eligible regional seniors to ease the burden of travel costs, has been a real hit.
We promised this card for two years at the 2019 election - and we delivered.
And the announcement that we're extending it and expanding it to include even more seniors living in the regions will be welcome news as we move into the new year.
The card helps ease the burden of travel costs for eligible seniors in regional, rural and remote areas of NSW.
They get a $250 prepaid Visa card to be used towards pre-booked NSW TrainLink, regional train and coach services, fuel, and taxis.
In 2022, we're also making the card available to those eligible for the Age Pension and receiving either a Disability Support Pension or a Carer Payment from Services Australia.
This initiative is very popular with our regional seniors, with 337,500 cards issued in 2020 and more than 354,000 issued in 2021 ... that's more than 691,000 since we launched the card.
This card is great news for regional seniors - and another way we are injecting money into regional economies, with the benefit flowing to fuel stations, taxi drivers and local economies.
Already, the card has injected more than $131 million into regional economies.
Applications for this year's card opened on January 17, 2022 and close on November 30, 2022.
Managing COVID at home
IT'S important to know that anyone who tests positive using a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) will now be required to register their result with Service NSW.
The process is an easy one using the Service NSW website or by using the Service NSW app.
Those without access to this app or website can contact Service NSW on 13 77 88.
This allows NSW Health to provide you with advice on self-isolation and how to manage COVID-19 symptoms at home.
By doing the right thing and registering, it helps ensure that no-one slips through the cracks because high-risk people can be connected to clinic care services.
It also helps the ongoing public health response as most people do not need a PCR test to confirm they are positive for COVID-19.
Remember, if you are under 65 years of age, have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, do not suffer from any chronic health conditions and are not pregnant, you may be able to safely manage COVID-19 at home.
In fact, the great majority of patients reported with COVID-19, well over 95 per cent, are managing safely at home.