Emergency repairs and detailed assessments of flood and storm damaged Council roads have been completed, with the remainder of repair works to begin soon.

Council crews inspected and cleaned up more than 700km of roads and nearly 200 bridges, culverts and fords following severe flash flooding in December.

Early repairs focused on priority areas such as those that blocked vehicle access or access to properties.

Inspections revealed up to 500 other sections of roads and drains that need repairing following the storms.

These works are being finalised for completion using National Disaster Relief and Recovery Assistance funding.

The next round of repair work is expected to start in March.

	READ THE MEDIA RELEASE

Our Positive Ageing Ambassadors consulted, discussed and brainstormed with seniors for six months. Now four projects have been identified to help make our community more age-friendly.

1. Communication and information project: using communication platforms including web, social media, noticeboards and radio, to improve information access for seniors.


2. Pop-up cinema: an indoor/outdoor pop-up cinema that can be hired by community groups.


3. Outdoor spaces and building project: exploring opportunities for more drinking fountains and bench seats in the main streets of major towns, a review of disabled car parks, as well as launching a guide to help make businesses more age-friendly.


4. Community transport: information sessions about booking the Bendigo Bank Community Bus.

	FIND OUT MORE

Mark down Saturday 3 March in your diaries as we celebrate the revitalised Broadford Living and Learning Centre with a Community Open Day.

The centre has been completely transformed and now features four multi-purpose rooms, a new kitchen with a servery, an IT/e-Learning room, a historic display and an outdoor area for the kids.

You can get a sneak peek of the changes before the Community Day by clicking the image above.

The $660,000 revitalisation was funded by Mitchell Shire Council and the Victorian Government's Growing Suburbs Fund.

	LIKE THE CENTRE ON FACEBOOK FOR UPDATES

The new outdoor sensory area at Seymour Library is ready for action.

The area has been transformed from a drab and disused courtyard into a vibrant and colourful outdoor learning hub where a range of creative and inspiring library programs will be run.

The first of its kind at a Mitchell Shire library, the area will be officially opened next week.

The $133,000 project was jointly funded by Mitchell Shire Council and the Victorian Government through the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s Living Libraries Infrastructure Program.

	LIBRARY HOURS AND LOCATIONS

The $4.1 million Wallan Town Heart revitalisation has reached a major milestone, with Evergreen Civil starting work near the Free Library Public Hall this month.

As part of the wider project, an upgrade of the existing car park in Bentinck Street will see approximately 25 new car parks created near the Community Bank® Adventure Playground.

The first stage of works are expected to take four to six weeks to complete.

Other works, including a new outdoor plaza, new pedestrian crossing, new car parks, landscaping, and traffic improvements to the High Street service road entry and Wellington Street, will also begin soon.

The project is jointly funded by Mitchell Shire Council and the Victorian Government through the Growing Suburbs Fund and Regional Development Victoria.

	LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT

The $6.74 million Greater Beveridge Community Centre is shaping up, with the slab recently laid and framing starting to go up.

The multi-purpose community centre will include two kindergarten rooms, two maternal and child health rooms, consulting rooms, kitchen facilities and multi-purpose rooms that can be used for youth services, life long learning and community activities and programs.

There will also be an internal street that will act as a community gathering space.

The project has been jointly funded by developers Newland, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and the Victorian Government’s Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution.

The centre, near the intersection of Mandalay Circuit and Lithgow Streets, is expected to be open later this year.

	READ THE MEDIA RELEASE

A big thank you to all the exhibitors and everyone who attended the 2018 Health and Wellbeing Expo in Kilmore earlier this month.

It was an amazing day with over 400 people in attendance. 

It was great to see such a wide variety of exhibitors and we thank the community for getting behind the event and making it such a success.

If you didn't make it along, we hope to see you there next year.

	VIEW PHOTOS

Thanks to a $90,000 grant from the Victorian Government's Engage! funding, we're about to roll out the MYE! Mitchell Youth Engagement program.

The program aims to build self-esteem and skills through initiatives such as leadership training, cooking workshops, street art, suicide prevention training and mental health workshops.

Programs will begin in March this year at Council’s youth rooms in Broadford and Wallan.

	READ MORE

Prepare to tantalise your tastebuds and explore different cultures at the Mitchell Multicultural Festival. 

This year, we've got more food trucks, more entertainment and more activities including Korean dancers, Indian performers African drummers and Indigenous groups.

We've also got live entertainment for the children, workshops, face painting and plenty of fun activities for the whole family. 

The free event at Hadfield Park in Wallan is set to showcase our municipality’s rich diversity.

	VIEW THE PROGRAM

Book your tickets now for High Tea at Mandalay in Beveridge to celebrate International Women's Day. 

Guest speaker is popular blogger and mother-of-two, Abby Gilmore.

With her driving force to “change the stigma around being a young mum” and provide a strong role model for her daughters. Abby is well-known for her honest social media videos touch on everything from co-parenting and motherhood to mental health and women’s rights.

Tickets are $33 and can be purchased on line, but be quick to secure your spot.

	BUY TICKETS

We're hosting two Small Business Victoria workshops in March to help you grow your business networks and market your business.

Get the edge on networking on Wednesday 7 March and marketing on Tuesday 20 March. Tickets are selling fast, so get in quick.

	BOOK YOUR SPOT

Mitchell Shire Suicide Prevention Network is hosting a community walk at Kilmore Racing Club.

The walk will help to raise awareness about suicide prevention and the support services available. 

Walk, talk, support - it may help save a life.

	MORE DETAILS

We believe that all Victorians deserve a liveable community, no matter where they live.

That's why we've partnered with 10 other councils in Melbourne's outer suburbs as part of The Liveability Project.

There are many positives about living in Melbourne's outer suburbs, but we need Victoria's decision makers to support better access to jobs, services, education and other amenities in these areas. 

Your stories have the power to create the change we need. It’s time to shine a spotlight on the daily challenges you face living in Melbourne’s outer suburbs and how this impacts your life and your family.

	GET INVOLVED

The annual Community Satisfaction Survey is underway in Mitchell Shire. 

The phone survey, conducted by independent market research agency National Field Services, covers a range of topics including:

• community consultation and engagement;
• customer service;
• advocacy;
• overall performance; and
• service areas such as roads, waste and libraries. 

We use the information to help identify trends and to look at ways we can improve service delivery.

	LAST YEAR'S RESULTS