The sister-city relationship with Shibetsu will be 20 years old in 2019 and next July, up to seven local students and a chaperone will travel there to help mark the anniversary.

At their most recent meeting, councillors decided to allocate $1000 to the yet to be selected students for travelling expenses, and $32 or 2500 yen to assist costs incurred by host families. The council will also cover the chaperone’s airfare, accommodation, meals and other ‘reasonable incidentals.’

Expressions of interest will be conducted through the high schools, with a panel comprising Mayor Bob Kirk and Crs Leah Ferrara, Carol James and Margaret O’Neill to choose the successful applicants. The process will run in term four this year to maximise the opportunity to secure discounted airfares.

The visit will coincide with the Shibetsu Shrine Festival.

Later that year, a delegation from Shibetsu will visit Goulburn to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the sister-city agreement.

Councillors heard that a Goulburn Mulwaree Council visit also comprising community members to Shibetsu last July had reaped benefits. Council employee Alex Mowbray was offered a 12-month exchange as an assistant English teacher. Shibetsu Council also advised that it would plant a Goulburn Rose garden at the front of its new administration building. Corporate and community services director Brendan Hollands said he had struck quarantine hurdles in helping to organise this.

Mark Collins, who joined the July delegation, prepared an extensive report.

The council anticipates the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) will decide its application for the aquatic centre’s upgrade within months.

Community consultation on the development application closed on July 26. The work, valued at $45 million, comprises three stages. 

Stage one includes construction of a 10-lane 25m indoor pool, refurbishing the existing 25m pool, new leisure and warm water pools, sauna, spa, new plant room and change rooms, new entrance foyer, reception, administration area, café with connectivity to Victoria Park, expanded car park and landscaping.

Stage two is for outdoor aquatics and fitness facilities, while stage three upgrades the existing outdoor pool.

Operations director Matt O’Rourke said the staging was necessary to minimise disruption. 

“The proposal will implement mitigation strategies to alleviate potential impacts from the demolition, construction and ongoing operations of the aquatic centre, such as odour, air quality and noise, dust control and traffic/pedestrian control…,” he said.

The council has applied for substantial State and Federal grants for the project.

The JRPP will determine the DA due to the project’s value. 

Two community organisations will receive a helping hand with major events this year and next.

Councillors agreed to contribute $1625 towards fees for the Recreation Area’s hire for the Convoy for Kids event on Saturday, November 10. The popular annual event raises money for families that have children with special needs.

Mayor Bob Kirk, a Convoy committee member, declared a non-pecuniary conflict of interest in the matter and left the room during discussion.

The Windellama Small Farms field day, now in its 25^th year, will receive $5000 in sponsorship from the council. Staff had recommended $2500 but Deputy Mayor Peter Walker successfully argued the full requested amount should be given.

“They’re not a massive profit making (organisation),” he said.

Cr Walker said it was a big day of the year and the committee worked hard to stage the event.

Convoy for the Country (unrelated to Convoy for Kids) has also scored $2552 to cover Recreation Area hire fees. The event, on February 1 and 2, 2019 is a fundraiser for farmers. Applicant Adam Craig said the Convoy would help primary producers pay bills in hard times.

“By allowing this to happen our event will be broadcast over the radio across Australia that Goulburn  is doing the first fundraising Convoy in the country,” he wrote.

Mr Craig is liaising with Ray Hadley’s radio program. The organisers also requested $2500 for traffic management but the council declined, given it had already donated $10,000 to a Mayoral drought appeal.

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