Ratepayers question civic park timetables
Drouin News and Tatts has made new ground, being the first agency to win both Victorian Association for Newsagents (VANA) awards.
The Drouin store became the first agency in Gippsland to win the retail newsagent of the year award since Morwell Authorised Newsagency won it on 2008.
A renovation of the store and increase in sales over the past three years helped the business take out the award over finalists from Cowes, Pinewood, Montmorency, Tunstall and Anglesea.
In an extra coup the Drouin agency scooped the pool, also winning the lottery agent of the year, a new category introduced three years ago.
Other finalists in the lottery category included agencies in Moonee Ponds, St Arnaud and Box Hill, with the Drouin agents’ radio advertising and seeking feedback instrumental in securing it the award.
The industry awards night is the annual event that celebrates the top achievers of the Victorian newsagency and lottery industry.
Drouin News and Tatts proprietor Vanita Haley said their store had been nominated by its partners Newspower, John Sands and Tattslotto.
She thanked their customers for helping them win the awards.
Questions about timetables to implement the master plans for Warragul and Drouin’s Civic Parks are likely to feature in a Baw Baw Shire Ratepayers and Citizens’ Association submission on the council’s draft budget for next financial year and its 10-year infrastructure plan.
Council earlier this month adopted the master plans for the two parks listing a range of projects to be undertaken in the short, medium and longer terms.
Speaking at last week’s ratepayers’ association meeting Warragul resident Kerry Elliott said she could not find any allocation for the short term works – to be implemented in one to five years - in the draft budget.
Upgraded play spaces are listed as the priority projects for both the Warragul and Drouin parks.
Also in the short term schedule for Drouin are upgrades to the toilets located near the existing playground including installation of disability and baby changing facilities.
However, there is some good news regarding Warragul Civic Park from the shire’s acting director of community assets Vishal Gupta.
Work on play spaces there is due to start later this month as part of the current financial year’s capital works program.
The upgrade to the play spaces at Drouin is expected in 2018-2019 subject to future budget reviews, Mr Gupta said.
Ms Elliott was critical listing as longer term – five plus years – the demolition of a house in Albert St, Warragul, near the junction with Civic Place, that council bought a number of years ago.
It is an eyesore that should be demolished quickly with the possibility of using the land to create extra car parking, she said.
Resourcing of council outdoor staff was another matter raised during discussions on the plans for the Civic Parks.
Michael Daniels said that, overall, the staff were “conscientious and did a terrific job” but claimed the numbers employed in that department had not increased since the amalgamation of Warragul, Buln Buln and Narracan shires in 1994 while office-based staff number had grown.
Ms Elliott commented that any plans for parks should take into account the ability of the shire to maintain them.
There are already plenty of parks in the shire that are neglected, she said.