Parkes residents should soon have a place for their "best friends" to play.
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"Do you think I'll get a dog park in my term on council?" Councillor Bill Jayet asked at a recent Parkes Shire Council meeting during discussion on projects planned for the next 12 months.
"It's in the budget Cr Jayet," Mayor Ken Keith OAM replied to the question.
Funding of $90,000 for a fenced dog park at Kelly Reserve is included in the budget for 2019-2020.
Plans for the park, councillors were told at the meeting, have had community consultation and fencing materials have been sourced, locally.
"We just need some quotes now for water bubblers and once that's installed we should have some money left over for seating and whatever else we'd like to see in it," council's engineering director Ben Howard said of the plans.
Council plans to have the project completed by the end of the 2019-2020 financial year.
"Not only will it happen in your lifetime, it will happen this financial year," Cr Keith said.
The dog park will be located at the western end of Kelly Reserve, near Coleman Street and will include a fenced perimeter, pedestrian access gates, water filling stations and seating.
A section of the park will also feature some obstacles for dogs.
Mr Howard said residents will begin to see some activity at the site as early as the end of this month.
Council is waiting for the release of the final plan that will include some changes to the draft proposal following feedback from the community.
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Council has prepared a list of more than $13.5 million worth of capital projects to be funded during the next financial year.
While $90,000 has been set aside for the proposed dog park, a long list of other council facilities, infrastructure, plant and projects are earmarked for upgrades or construction.
Roads will receive more than $3 million with $250,000 set aside for urban construction, $1 million for Parkes Plus Transport, $200,000 for rural roads construction and $1.3 million under the Fixing Country Roads program.
Improvements at the shire waste facilities, dependent on grant funding, will see $745,000 set aside.
The Rural Fire Service sees $873,000 set aside for bushfire tanker replacement.
Parkes' reputation as a provider of first class sporting facilities will receive a boost with $50,000 for sporting ground lighting improvements, a further $200,000 for ground improvements and $256,000 for improvements at swimming pools.
The full list of capital funding is:
- Computer Hardware, Software & Office Equipment $381,920.
- Plant & Motor Vehicles Replacement Program $796,000.
- RFS - Bushfire Tankers Replacement Program $873,000.
- RFS Fire Stations $67,110.
- Parkes Depot Hardstand $50,000.
- Animal Shelter $15,000.
- Section 94A Capital Program $70,000.
- Drainage Construction - General $300,000.
- Drainage Construction - Stormwater Levy $165,000.
- Drainage Renewal Works $50,000.
- Parkes Shire Waste Facilities Improvements (Grant Dependent) $745,000.
- Fenced Dog Park Area $90,000.
- Building Backlog Programs $500,000.
- Parkes Cemetery Improvements $60,000.
- Parkes Plus - Entrance to Parkes $40,000.
- Public Libraries - Library Books $112,27.
- Public Libraries - Furniture, Office Equipment & Computer Hardware $61,100.
- Sporting Ground Lighting Improvements $50,000.
- Sporting Ground Improvements $200,000.
- Swimming Pool Improvements $256,000.
- Street Trees - Major Replacement/Concept Plan $14,080.
- Village Special Capital Allocation $40,000.
- Village Projects & Town Improvement $90,000.
- Roads - Urban Construction $250,000, Parkes Plus Transport $1,000,000, Rural Construction $200,000, Fixing Country Roads - Five Chain Lane $1,313,000, Repair Grant $400,000.
- Capital Works - Roads Grant Funded (FAGS & R2R) $3,164,930.
- Parkes Plus - Cycleway / Exercise / Wellness $100,000.
- Parkes Plus - Footpaths $100,000.
- Kerb & Guttering Improvements $100,000.
- Parkes Regional Airport - Resealing Main Runway $500,000.
- Parkes Plus - Lower Clarinda Street & Cooke Park Multipurpose $150,000.
- Spicer Caravan Park $56,000.
- Public Art Program $20,000.
- Tourism & Area Promotion Capital Improvements $29,000.
- Interpretive Signage - Parkes Shire $15,000.
- Henry Parkes Centre Capital Improvements $8000.
- Sparkles Program $70,000.
- Parkes Plus - Land Development $469,000.
- Industrial Estate $100,000.
- Residential Development (Fisher Street) $125,000.
- Strategic Planning / LEP $300,000.
- Elvis Festival Infrastructure $10,000.
Council's budget was formally adopted at its May 21 meeting following a 28-day public exhibition period.
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