water use well down

The Shire of Yarra Ranges has nominated for a national award after recording a 72% drop in the amount of drinking water used on sports fields during the past 10 years.

Me at the Belgrave South Recreation Reserve, this reserve was retrenched and resprigged as part of council's droughtproofing program back in 2008.

Council has been working hard to drought proof our ovals by implementing a range of different initiatives. In 2001 the shire used 104,000,000 litres of drinking water on our sports fields. In 2009/10 that consumption has dropped to around 29,000,000 – a 72% reduction.

The initiatives to reduce the use of potable water include harvesting rain water, using technology to monitor irrigation frequency and length, installing flow metres and rain sensors to shut off watering systems when it is raining. We've also made significant changes to our sports field construction methods using summer grass species for improved drought tolerance and have increased cutting heights of grass to ensure resilience.

Other initiatives include the use of wetting agents, installation of water bores and tanks to receive recycled water. It is important to continue to provide good quality sports fields for community. Sports fields provide a pivotal community meeting space and if that is taken away we see a breakdown in the social fabric of our community.

Whether it be organised sport or passive recreation, our sports fields are an important asset to local communities and with 64 of them in Yarra Ranges it is important that we do as much as we can to ensure their ongoing usability.

There has been a concerted effort to reduce our reliance on drinking water which not only has advantages for our community but huge benefits for our environment.

Council has nominated in the national 2010 Savewater! Awards which will be announced in November.

belgrave heights serves an ace

This week I had the great pleasure of being part of the announcement of funding for the Belgrave Heights Tennis Club. For the last three years the club has tried to secure funding to install three Plexicushion courts, this year their calls for help were answered.

The shire was pleased to provide $20,000 towards this worthy project, we are committed to making our sports facilities drought proof. Pictured left to right: Heather Willsher – club president, Kylie Wilkeson – driving force of the club to secure funding, Sean Wilkeson – club professional and junior convenor and Cr Samantha Dunn - Lyster ward.

The State Government announced a $60,000 grant, that, along with $20,000 from the Shire of Yarra Ranges, $54,000 from Tennis Australia and a lot of fundraising from the club, means Belgrave Heights Tennis club will be able to commence the installation of the new hardcourts and also use the new synthetic surface to collect water to use on the two remaining en tout cas courts.

The drought and subsequent water restrictions have made it difficult for tennis clubs to adequately maintain their en tout cas courts, however the upgrade to plexicusion will greatly reduce water requirements of the tennis club and mean that they are far more self sustaining into the future. It will also provide the club with the chance to grow their membership and provide locals with the chance to play on the same surface as the one used at Rod Laver Arena.

belgrave rec reserve gets droughtproofed

Work is set to begin on a major oval renovation for Belgrave. The works include converting the ground to summer, drought tolerant grasses and improving drainage at the ground.

The old surface will be removed and a new surface constructed then warm season grass will be sown. Warm season grasses require less watering and provide a better quality, longer lasting surface.

The surface needs time to establish so it won’t be able to be used by cricket and football in the short term. However the short term pain will bring long term gains as Belgrave has a more drought tolerant, better quality ground for our community.

listening to lyster

There have been many challenges as ward councillor for Lyster. I’ve always thought the important thing is to listen to my constituents. The community is always very clear on its aspirations and needs and I have worked hard to try fulfil them.

Kerrs Lane
A while ago the residents of Kerrs Lane, Lysterfield contacted me to do something about the continual use of their road as a rat run from Belgrave Hallam Rd to Wellington Rd. After consultation with the local residents it was decided the best way forward was a locked gate. But it’s not that simple, emergency services, waste services, utility companies and residents all had to be consulted to ensure there was agreement about the way forward. I’m pleased to say the residents are now enjoying a much quieter road with a shiny new gate installed about half way along Kerrs Lane and no more cars belting down this well known shortcut.

Belgrave Pool Upgrade
The Belgrave pool has served our community well and has the highest use of all the Shire’s outdoor pools however there is a need for some long term upgrading. Enhancement of amenities and facilities will see it brought up to scratch to become an even more popular destination for our community.

I have fought to ensure that $500,000 has been set aside in the capital works budget to make sure the works are undertaken. (note: Monbulk Pool to get $1.5 million, see blog for more info)

The Patch Playground
I was alarmed to discover that the Shire was going to remove the Children’s Playground in The Patch. The playground was treated pine, starting to splinter and the tyres were wearing to the point the steel belting was exposed. I was all for getting rid of a risk to children but then I learnt the Shire had no intention of replacing the playground.


This was an outrageous proposition and I made a concerted effort to the highest levels at the Shire to ensure a new playground was installed to replace the old one.

After extensive consultation a design befitting the region was chosen and the children of The Patch now have a terrific playground which they love to play on.

Droughtproofing Our Reserves
This is an issue that is continually raised with me and front and centre in my thinking. The stage 3A water restrictions mean that only 6 of the shire’s 65 recreation reserves are able to be watered. Without water our reserves are virtually unusable and this has dire consequences for the social fabric of our community.

I have worked to ensure that bore exploration, tank installation, pool backwash projects and re-seeding of recreation reserves are part of the solution to securing ongoing water supplies for the reserves in Lyster. So much more work needs to be done in this area and I am committed to sourcing alternative water supplies. I will also continue to advocate to other levels of government the need for funding to help the shire address this pressing need.

If you have any local issue you would like to raise with me, I’d welcome your email or call me on 9752 6869.