Wollondilly Shire Council is hitting major milestones as it brings to life a wide range of transformative projects across the Shire, with a total of 23 items from its Delivery Program already completed since the start of the 2022/23 Financial Year.

A report to the next Council meeting shows the progress of the Delivery Program from 1 January to 30 June; highlighting that 123 projects or actions are progressing on track, with some ahead of schedule.

Mayor Matt Gould said, “Some impressive targets have been reached in the past six months, such as the successful delivery of Council’s biggest ever Transport Capital Works Program, along with the huge amount of additional grant-funded work which is helping to repair our road network following the devastating storm events of previous years.”

“It is exciting to see some major Wollondilly projects come to fruition, such as the restoration of the old Picton Post Office which has now been repurposed as a coworking space and is providing a great boost to our local economy.”

“The completion of the impressive multi-purpose Tahmoor Sportsground Building is also worth celebrating, cementing the complex as a top tier sporting facility for the area.”

“Across the Shire I am delighted to see our playgrounds and sportsgrounds getting some attention, including the Birrahlee Park playground upgrade at Yanderra which was completed in March and the amazing all abilities playground at Dudley Chesham Sportsground,” he said.

The upcoming Council report also shows that work on the highly anticipated Wollondilly Cultural Precinct in the heart of Picton town centre is gaining momentum, with important milestones being reached such as the completion of a fresh, new, state-of-the-art Children’s Services Building.

Other progress included renovations to the Wollondilly Library to create an extended, accessible space for the community to enjoy and the start of construction of the 350 seat Performing Arts Centre, the jewel in the crown of the Precinct that will provide a major injection into the cultural life of the Shire.

Some other highlights for the past six months included:

• Council’s Sustainability Policy was endorsed, providing a blueprint for the successful incorporation of sustainability into every element of Council Business.
• Following community consultation and careful consideration, Council streamlined its rate structure to be fairer, simpler and more efficient, setting the Shire up for the future.
• 856 cars visited the Household Chemical Cleanout event in March 2023, making it the highest attended Chemical Cleanout event that has been held in Wollondilly.
• Council’s community bus model was reviewed, which enabled the existing 21-seater vehicle to be decommissioned and donated to a local organisation, River Road Creative, following an expression of interest process.
• Wollondilly Library delivered 200 programs to 3,998 people during the reporting period and also introduced Sensory Storytime at the Library.
• The Mayor’s Charity Night was held in June, raising $11,000 for the Camden/Wollondilly Domestic Violence Committee, specifically supporting a project to reduce domestic violence within the Wollondilly Shire.
• Council’s largest tourism campaign, Love the Dilly was wrapped up in June 2023, with successful results such as increased visitor numbers to the Shire.

Of the projects and actions that are yet to begin or that may face delays (13% of the total actions) many of these are dependent on either grants, input from other government departments or agencies, or resourcing limitations.

Council will consider the June 2023 report on the 2022/23 Delivery Program at its meeting on Tuesday 24 October, which will be live streamed for those interested in watching the proceedings.