The Mayor of Hawkesbury, Councillor Patrick Conolly has welcomed the State Government’s new funding announcement of $1.68 million in Local Economic Recovery Funding for the Hawkesbury to further support community projects for Bilpin, Colo Heights and the Macdonald Valley (including St Albans) as part of their ongoing bushfire recovery.
“The Member for Hawkesbury, Robyn Preston MP, has announced $1,680,000 in funding to deliver all-age access parks, recreation, public art and bushfire prevention projects across Bilpin, St Albans and Colo Heights, Mayor Conolly said.
“Hawkesbury City Council submitted community projects for each bushfire affected area as part of the funding application for the Local Economic Recovery Program.
“This funding announcement is great news as it will be a huge boost for our community and take us much further on the journey towards bushfire recovery with projects that really matter to our community members,” the Mayor said.
Bilpin, Colo Heights and the Macdonald Valley were significantly impacted by bushfires in late 2019 and early 2020. While much of the physical cleanup has now been undertaken, the recovery work has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To better understand the needs of the residents of these areas, Council conducted online engagement programs in the communities between April and May. As a result, Council has been able to identify many actions that community members believe would help them to rebuild and reconnect.
Council has used these community ideas to identify the scope of community projects for each of the three areas of Bilpin, Colo Heights and the Macdonald Valley, including their cost, alignment with project criteria, strategic alignment with the Hawkesbury Community Strategic Plan.
“Council looks forward to commencing work on these projects for our community thanks to this additional funding support from the NSW Government,” Mayor Conolly concluded.
