Councillor Column: Cr Trent Sullivan from the City of Greater Geelong, April 2

Helping hand
AS THE coronavirus situation continues to evolve rapidly, I’m struck by the importance of staying connected during this time.
We’re all feeling uncertain and perhaps overwhelmed and scared to varying degrees by everything that’s going on, and that’s natural.
Given we’re all rightly keeping our physical distance from one another, it’s hard not to feel a bit disconnected, which is why I encourage community members to step up the phone calls, video chats and messaging with loved ones and neighbours to check on their mental health and lift spirits.
Extra support and kindness can go a long way.
On a council level, we’re also doing our best to support businesses and community members who have been hit hard by the coronavirus. This is why last week we agreed to a raft of immediate measures proposed by Mayor Stephanie Asher to help those who have been impacted, and there are more to come.
We’re working with the CEO to develop a council COVID-19 financial hardship policy which will include consideration of rates.
We’ve also made casual on and off-street parking in the Geelong CBD free until 30 June 2020. This applies to all paid metered parks in the city however time limits still apply. We know this will ease financial pressure for those who still have to come into the CBD and also eliminate hygiene worries about touching meters.
There will be a 50 per cent reduction of rent for eligible commercial tenants in City of Greater Geelong-owned buildings or on City-owned land for six months from 1 March 2020. Eligible tenants will be contacted to discuss this further.
A new Business Support Portal launched last Friday, offering free expert advice on human resources, financial management and digital marketing, as well as specific mentoring. Head to geelongbusinesssupport.com.au to register.
For a full list of support measures announced so far, head to the Geelong Australia website: geelongaustralia.com.au. There you’ll also find a list of Geelong region impacts on facilities, services and events, as well as general information about the outbreak.
If you need any health-related advice, head to the Department of Health and Human Services website: dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
Pool need confirmed
Drysdale, Clifton Springs, Curlewis, Portarlington and St Leonards residents who have to drive more than 10 minutes to get to a pool will be pleased to hear this news: Council’s considering funding the construction and operation of a new north Bellarine swimming pool as part of our 2020-21 Budget.
An independent scoping study confirmed there’s a clear need for a pool on the north Bellarine and two potential sites in Drysdale are the most suitable for a 50-metre outdoor pool.
They are the City’s Drysdale Maintenance Depot site on Collins Street and the planned Drysdale Regional Sports Precinct at the intersection of Grubb Road and the new Drysdale Bypass.Work is now underway to decide on the preferred location and operating model.
It’s time to address that gap and get this project started, by utilising $10 million in committed federal government funding.
Shared trails
Council has adopted the hared Trails Master Plan, which aims to create a network of trails across the region. We now have a prioritised list for building new trails, filling missing links and upgrades to existing trails.The need for trails from Drysdale to Ocean Grove, Portarlington and St Leonards made the top 5 priorities in the network gaps category.
While the trail gaps priority list ranked Golf Links Road, Barwon Heads to 13th Beach Surf Life Saving Club at number one. Planning has already started for a new off-road path between the club and the 13th Beach Road western car park, using $200,000 from this year’s shared trails budget allocation.
Cr Trent Sullivan
Bellarine Ward, City of Greater Geelong