As we enter the final year of this current council term, it is important to reflect on the last twelve months so as to shape the priorities for 2008:

Improving Accessibility

• Ongoing advocacy calling on the State Government to redevelop Ringwood Station into an accessible and safe transport interchange;
• Supporting Scoot Wheel N Move, including the highly successful Recharge Program for motorised mobility aids;
• Regularly attending Maroondah’s Forum for People with Disabilities and Carers, so as to discuss and identify accessibility issues;
• Participating in the Good Access = Good Business accessibility forum;
• Launching Campaign Enable, a community advocacy group managed by people with disabilities.

Improving Sustainability

• Successfully advocating for the introduction of Maroondah’s Sustainability Fund, which includes one million dollars for water sustainability improvements;
• Ensuring that cost savings generated by the sustainability improvements are reinvested into the sustainability fund to generate further improvements;
• Involvement in Maroondah’s first Environment Forum, which attracted over 100 attendees and demonstrated the strong community interest in sustainability;
• Launching Maroondah’s first environmental workshop, focused on energy conservation;

Advocating for Sustainable Transport

• Securing a political commitment for the abolition of zone three, which took effect from March 2007;
• Ongoing advocacy calling on the State Government to redevelop Ringwood Station into an accessible and safe transport interchange;
• Ongoing advocacy for pedestrian improvements, particularly along Maroondah Highway;
• Successfully advocating for bus improvements, including more frequent services along Maroondah Highway and Canterbury Road;
• Successfully advocating for the introduction of a full-time sustainable transport officer, to ensure that Maroondah is at the forefront of sustainable transport;
• Fulfilling duties as the Acting Chair of the Eastern Transport Coalition, to continue regional advocacy for public transport improvements.

Standing up for the community

• Successfully saving Maidstone Park, in conjunction with the local community, from being sold by council. This community advocacy also led to the saving of parks in Bedford Road in Ringwood and Mainfold Court in Croydon;
• Completion of a new pavilion and track works at AC Robertson Athletics Track at Proclamation Park;
• Supporting youth initiatives within Maroondah, including Maroondah’s first Youth Film Festival;
• Fighting successfully to retain and re-open the Croydon Memorial Pool;
• Regularly attending seniors groups, such as Enjoying Planned Retirement;
• Assisting support groups, such as the Croydon Stroke Support group, in holding their first successful art exhibition;
• Active involvement in promoting the arts within Maroondah;
• Regularly attending a variety of community meetings and events;
• Protecting the local amenity of residents from excessive noise;
• Regularly holding meetings over planning applications, to ensure suitable planning outcomes that maintain community identity;
• Successfully continuing the Walking School Bus program, despite attempts to end the initiative by the end of 2007.

Over the course of this year I plan on continuing to stand up for the community, including through my involvement in the Committees of Management for the Maroondah Citizens’ Advice Bureau and North Ringwood Community House. I am also Maroondah’s representative on the Eastern Transport Coalition and am continuing my involvement to the Maroondah Tourism and Heritage Advisory Board. I should also be continuing as chair of the Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee, although this will be dependent on the outcome of the notice to review that I issued for February’s council meeting.

It is critical that Maroondah becomes a leader in sustainability and accessibility. The vision for the Ringwood Transit City and Croydon Activity Centre will result in changes that will remain with us for at least 20 or 30 years. It is imperative that we get things right from the very beginning, so as not to repeat past mistakes.

I would like to thank the many people who have contacted me during 2007 to discuss issues within Maroondah. It is your calls and emails that provide me the opportunity to stand up for the community.

Thank you to everyone who has helped make Maroondah a better municipality throughout 2007.

Cr. Alex Makin

Councillor for Loughnan’s Hill Ward
City of Maroondah