I was delighted to welcome the Minister for Tourism and Major Events, The Hon Adam Marshall to Parkes this week for the launch of the 2018 Parkes Elvis Festival and the official opening of the revitalisation works at the Peak Hill Gold Mine.

Residents and visitors are invited to the official unveiling of the new Peak Hill Community Wall art installation on 19th September at 12:30pm in the Commercial Gardens. The Community Wall is an extension to the Parkes Shire public art series to celebrate cultural and artistic diversity within the community. Current artworks are by Wiradjuri artist and Peak Hill resident, Scott “Sauce” Towney. The unveiling will coincide with the Ordinary Meeting of
Council at the Peak Hill RSL at 2pm.

Council have partnered with the Parkes and District Netball Association to resurface the eight netball courts at McGlynn Park to meet the needs of the current users and to attract larger competitions to the region. Council will contribute $64,490 under the Parkes Town Improvement Vote.

Council is taking enrolments for the Parkes Learn to Swim program for the 2017/18 swim season. Information and enrolment forms are available at www.parkes.nsw.gov.au. The Parkes Aquatic Centre will open on Saturday, 30th September at 10am.

Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

Residents and pedestrians will be pleased with the footpath works that were completed this week at the southern end of Bogan Street. Council’s works crews re-aligned and constructed the new 1.8m wide footpath to improve mobility and link-ups within the town.

Congratulations to the Trundle Bush Tucker Day for another successful event attracting visitors from far and wide. It is a credit to the volunteer organisers who put in so much time and effort to an event that gives so much back to the Trundle community.

Parkes continues to appeal as a destination for major sporting events with the announcement that Parkes will welcome two State Hockey Championship tournaments in 2018 at the Cheney/McGlynn Sporting Complex which now features two international standard synthetic surfaces. Parkes will host the Over 50s Men’s Masters and the Under 15s Boys Championships in May and June respectively.

Legendary Australian author and illustrator Leigh Hobbs will be in Parkes for the Curiosity + Wonder celebrations on 13th and 14th September. Leigh Hobbs is the bestselling author of more than 20 books, and has a subversive humour that delights children and adults alike. Contact the Parkes Shire Library on 6861 2309 or visit Council’s
website for more information.

Yours Faithfully, Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

Congratulations to the District Show Societies for another successful show circuit. Residents of Tullamore, Trundle, Peak Hill, Parkes and surrounds took advantage of the public holiday to support the shows. Council’s impressive CAT500B Road Reclaimer at the Parkes Show proved to be a big drawcard for residents wanting to know more about our roads program. The show circuit was capped off with an impressive fireworks display seen all across town.

To date, local procurement on the Advanced Water Recycling Facility is at 94%, with Council partnering with local suppliers and operators to deliver this project for our community. Combined with the new Water and Sewage Treatment Plants, local content equates to 36% of the total work complete across the project sites.

Curiosity and Wonder kicks off at Parkes Shire Library this month, celebrating literacy, science, art and creative play. The annual event offers a range of activities for residents and visitors of all ages. To view what’s on, visit www.parkes.nsw.gov.au. Trundle Bush Tucker Day returns for its 31st year with a stellar line up of activities
planned for tomorrow. Last year Bush Tucker Day went ahead despite the major flooding that swept the region, however road closures upset the travel plans of many visitors.

I encourage everyone to support this terrific event to make it the biggest and best one yet. For all the details head to www.visitparkes.com.au.
Enjoy your weekend.
Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

Council will join members of Parkes Hockey Incorporated tomorrow to officially open the ClubGRANTS funded synthetic hockey pitch, the Mariah Williams Field. Special guests include the field’s namesake, Parkes’ Australian Hockey representatives Mariah Williams, as well as Minister for Racing Hon. Paul Toole MP, and PHI Life Members.

I encourage everyone to attend with a spectacular program planned. The full program can be viewed on www.parkes.
nsw.gov.au Congratulations to participants of this year’s mock crash demonstration as part of the NOT A STATISTIC! Youth Driver Education Program. Over 500 students from nine local high schools attended the demonstration which aims to improve the attitudes and behaviours of young drivers and passengers. Trundle Bush Tucker Day is next weekend with a stellar line up of activities planned including country music sensation Beccy
Cole. To purchase tickets, visit www.trundlebushtuckerday.com

Residents are reminded to stop by the Council stand at the Parkes Show next week, with staff on hand to chat about our works, services, events and initiatives. In light of Council’s recent pledge to the Cities Power Partnership, the annual show pavilion display will feature a topical theme. The impressive CAT RM500B Road Reclaimer will be on site too. The state-of-the-art piece of roadworks equipment will provide a cost effective and environmentally friendly means of resurfacing and maintaining road pavement.

For all the details about the Show, head to www.visitparkes.com.au.

Enjoy your weekend.
Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

This week I joined the Parkes and District Historical Society (PDHS) in signing a three-year lease of occupation of the Henry Parkes Museum. This partnership will ensure the preservation of Parkes Shire’s history and provide certainty for the PDHS to continue development of the museum and maintain stewardship of the historical memorabilia of the area.

In another monumental contract signing, the legacy of Elvis will forever live on in Parkes, with Council partnering with the Elvis Revival Inc Committee to commission a statue to be permanently displayed in town. The Elvis statue will be a fitting dedication to our wonderful volunteers, and will be designed and constructed by sculpture Terrance Plowright, the same artist who sculpted the Henry Parkes monument located in the town square. The Elvis Revival Inc plans to unveil the new Elvis statue during the 2018 Parkes Elvis Festival.

Trundle Bush Tucker Day is only two weeks away with a stellar line up of activities planned for the first weekend in September including country music sensation Beccy Cole. I encourage everyone to get along this year and support this unique, family-friendly local event. To purchase tickets and for all the details, visit www.trundlebushtuckerday.
com

Residents are reminded to stop by the Council stand at the upcoming Peak Hill and Parkes Shows, with staff on hand to chat about our works, services, events and initiatives. For all the details about the Shire Shows, head to www.visitparkes.com.au.

Have an enjoyable weekend.
Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

I was delighted to accept the RH Dougherty Award for Excellence in Communications on behalf of Parkes Shire Council at the Local Government Awards held in Sydney last week. I must thank the community for its feedback regarding our communications, which formed the basis for the design and functionality of the new website.

This week we marked a monumental milestone in the construction of the new Sewage Treatment Plant, with the switch over of operations to the new facility on Monday.

This signifies the project is nearing completion, with an official opening later in the year.

August marks show season. It is Tullamore’s turn today and tomorrow. Residents and visitors can enjoy a full day of activities. View the full program at www.tullamore.org.au. The Trundle Show is next week with Wednesday, 16th August gazetted as a public holiday to encourage locals to support the event. Council staff will be at each of the Shire shows to answer any questions.

The Love Our Locals campaign continues to see tremendous success on social media. I encourage residents to share the love by liking and sharing the campaign posts on the Visit Parkes Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

Have an enjoyable weekend.
Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM,
Mayor of Parkes Shire

Thank you to the wonderful volunteers who dug deep for National Tree Day 2017 on Sunday 30 July. Over 40 participants planted 350 trees at the northern end of Danilenko Street in Parkes, a tremendous effort by all involved.
This week, residents are invited to learn more about the programs, services and activities Council provides to the community as part of Local Government Week 2017, held 31 July until 6 August. Check out the diverse range of projects Council is planning and delivering on our website which include major infrastructure projects including
the Water and Sewage Treatment Plants, Advanced Water Recycling Facility, Parkes and Peak Hill Waste Facility upgrades, and the Parkes Regional Airport Business Park, as well as the ongoing upgrades and maintenance of our road and footpath assets. To find out more about Council’s works, services and activities, head to www.parkes.nsw.gov.au.

In only its first week, the Love Our Locals campaign has seen tremendous traction on social media thanks to the support of our local community. The campaign, launched last Thursday, will see around 80 local businesses profiled across the Visit Parkes social media platforms with the aim of raising the profile of the Parkes region by showcasing the diverse business opportunities, the range of innovative and progressive local businesses, their respective owners and what they each bring to the community. I encourage everyone to share the love by getting behind the campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #LoveOurLocals.

Council invites local tourism and business operators to come along to a Visitor Economy Workshop on Monday, 7th August at the Astro Dish Motor Inn. The workshop will incorporate an update on the current state of the tourism industry and opportunities for local business. For workshop details, head to visitparkes.com.au or phone 6862 6000.

Have an enjoyable weekend.
Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

I would like to congratulate local logistics company SCT Intermodal Parkes for diversifying its operations to maximise the potential of the Parkes Logistics Hub by announcing a partnership with DP World Australia to provide direct freight access to Port Botany for local exporters and importers.

Council and the Parkes Chamber of Commerce are excited to launch the Love Our Local campaign, which will feature many local businesses. Join the campaign by following Visit Parkes Region on social media, liking the business pages and sharing what you love about shopping local.

Council invites local tourism and business operators to a Visitor Economy Workshop on Monday, 7th August at the Astro Dish Motor Inn. The workshop will incorporate an update on the current state of the tourism industry and opportunities for local business. For details head to visitparkes.com.au or phone 6862 6000.

Residents are invited to take part in the largest community tree-planting and nature care event on Sunday at 11am. As part of this year’s National Tree Day, Council staff will be joining Central West Lachlan Landcare and community volunteers at the northern end of Danilenko Street with the aim of planting 500 trees. Register your attendance
via visitparkes.com.au

A reminder that waste disposal charges for domestic loads commence at the Parkes Waste Facility from 1st August to improve the waste and recyclable management and disposal techniques to reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfill. Separate and build specific loads, such as a green matter load, to qualify for cheaper rates.

Enjoy your weekend.
Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

Parkes Shire Council has teamed up with 35 other local councils to take a national pledge to tackling climate change, as part of the Climate Council’s Cities Power Partnership (CPP). This week I attended the launch of the CPP in Canberra, joining Climate Council members, ACT Environment Minister Shane Rattenbury, and other mayors and council representatives. We’re excited to collaborate with other regional and metropolitan councils as part of the Cities Power Partnership, to share resources and ideas about how we can accelerate emission reduction and become a greener, more efficient and resilient community.

Council invites local tourism and business operators to come along to a Visitor Economy Workshop on Monday 7 August at the Aastro Dish Motor Inn. The workshop will incorporate an update on the current state of the tourism industry and opportunities for local business. For workshop details, head to visitparkes.com.au or phone the Parkes
Visitor Information Centre on 02 6862 6000. Only one week to go until National Tree Day, the largest community tree-planting and nature care event. This year, we’ll be planting at the northern end of Danilenko Street and I encourage residents and visitors to come along on Sunday 30 July at 11am and do something positive for our local environment.

Register your attendance via visitparkes.com.au A reminder that Council contractors, Clearflow are continuing the cleaning of water mains throughout Parkes, with flushing of the mains in the Parkes CBD scheduled for Sunday 23 July. Residents and business operators will be notified of scheduled works and supply interruptions in your area 24 hours prior to works taking place. To remove any residual discolouration after the works are carried out, consumers should run a backyard tap until the water returns to normal. For more details visit parkes.nsw.gov.au

Enjoy your weekend.
Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire