Gosford City Council A LEADER IN BEST PRACTISE
Gosford City Council A LEADER
Gosford City Council R IN BEST PRACTISE
Gosford City Council Located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Gosford City Council governs a population of nearly 175,000 over a 1,029 square kilometre area. That area – known for its breathtaking scenery – spans north towards the Cessnock and Wyong Shires, east to the Tasman Sea, south to the Hawkesbury River, and west to the Judge Dowling Range. Gosford City Council manages a budget just over $450 million and has a staff population of roughly 1,100 people. According to Paul Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of Gosford City Council, the city’s convenient proximity to the major population centres has helped make the Central Coast “one of the fastest growing areas in Australia.” Earlier this year, Gosford City Council earned acclaim for putting a multi-million dollar project into action to harness stormwater for sustainable water management in Terrigal and East Gosford, creating crucial infrastructure to facilitate the capture of stormwater for non-potable usage. Additionally, they upgraded the Somersby Water Treatment Plant to offset the project’s car-
Gosford City Council -bon footprint. It is estimated that the project will generate savings of about 80 million litres of treated water per year. The initiative – valued at nearly $7 million − was created in response to the region’s most recent drought, which saw water reserves plummet to as low as 10 per cent of their normal levels. “A number of years ago, the Central Coast was in the grips of a pretty horrendous drought,” says Paul Anderson. “Sporting fields, reserves, and gardens, among other things, were suffering because they were not only being starved of natural rainwater, but they were also being deprived of watering due to the pretty severe water restrictions that were put in place by the councils on the Central Coast. This project allows us to not waste treated water for purposes it was never intended to be used for.” Both schemes received $2million in funding through the Australian Government’s National Urban Water and Desalination Plan, and $1.6 million through the NSW Government’s Central Coast Water Savings Fund. Gosford City Council also devoted
Gosford City Council
Gosford City Council around $4 million towards these projects. According to Paul, the project addresses several important issues that are prevalent in the region, providing a means to overcome many of the challenges associated with lack of water. He joyously points out that the community − who are “thrilled to have their sporting fields back” − have supported the initiative since its inception. “The community has always been extremely excited about the project, especially now that they can actually see the benefits of the program,” he says. “I think all water supply authorities and all local government areas need to start looking at how to maintain our recreational facilities in an environment where water is becoming more and more precious every day. It gives us an advantage to be able to start managing some of those resources, and to be saving money in that regard.” “Importantly, I think it also starts to address some of the environmental issues we face, such as stormwater runoff contaminating our beaches and internal waterways,” he adds. “The project enables us to go through
Gosford City Council some of the gross pollutant trap management issues and get a better environmental outcome for the broad community and visitors to the Central Coast. It’s one of those ongoing projects that will continue to deliver better community and environmental outcomes for a long time.” Considering the size and complexity of the project, there were many parties involved throughout the various stages of the process. However, Paul explains that the project was overseen exclusively by council staff, and would not have been such a resounding success without their hard work and commitment. “Council staffmanaged the entire process, did a lot of the preliminary design work, had gone through the execution and commissioning of the project, and are now in full operation of the project,” he says. “Although the actual construction of the infrastructure was done by civil contractors, they were supervised by the council staff who coordinated the process from beginning to end.” A REAL PARTNERSHIP
Gosford City Council
Gosford City Council FAITHFULLY SERVING THE COMMUNITY Paul also credits the suppliers and subcontractors for their “tremendous work and dedication.” In particular, he was impressed with their ability to overcome the unforeseen challenges that arose during construction. “There were some difficulties that we had to negotiate, such as the acid sulphate soil we encountered while we were excavating for the stormwater retention tanks,” he says. “It required quick thinking and strict coordination between all of the suppliers, contractors, and council staff to get a good outcome and keep the project moving forward.” “Unlike the traditional customer-client relationship, there was a real partnership between all parties to deliver a piece of infrastructure that is both unique and exciting in terms of what it can deliver to the community.” Gosford City Council’s cutting edge initiative was honoured with both the ‘Built Environment Sustainability – Infrastructure’ and ‘Regional Sustainability’ accolades at the 2014 Green Globe Awards − an event highlighting NSW’s most dynamic and forwardthinking environmental leaders. Paul says he is thrilled to win the awards in general, but he is particularly pleased to see the efforts of the council staff acknowledged publically. “It’s always gratifying to receive a major
Gosford City Council award and be seen as a leader of best practise and technology, but the credit goes to the staff,” he proclaims. “The staff that went through the initial innovation process, the staff that went through the design and grant application process, and the staff that went through the management of the project. They all duly received the recognition they deserved.” “People need to know that the staff of this organisation and the staff across New South Wales’ local government really had the community’s best interests at heart, and were prepared to look at things in an innovative way to deliver the best social, economic, environmental, and cultural outcomes for the community,” he continues. “To receive two Green Globes is simply fantastic, and it recognises the fact that local government can be leaders in best practise.” In the coming years, Paul aims to build off of the success Gosford City Council has achieved with its stormwater harvesting and reuse project, and hopes that victory will give staff members the confidence to move forward with future applications. “This project has shown everybody that we’re able to deliver best practise, that we’re able to deliver some innovative projects that provide major benefits for our community, and that we’re able to be recognised for our efforts,” he says. “We’re in the process of redeveloping and rejuvenating Gosford. We’re showing that this is a real place of activity on the Central Coast, and it’s about time that people realise there’s real opportunity here for business and residential development,” he concludes. “We’re looking forward to experiencing increased growth and increased development that enables us to advance these systems even further and look at other ways to expand these outcomes for the benefit of the entire region.”
Gosford City Council
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