New Moorabool leadership team pledges a shire-wide approach

MOORABOOL Shire Council’s new mayor, Cr Steve Venditti-Taylor, has listed a new civic centre for Bacchus Marsh and advocating for solutions to traffic issues in the town as among his top priorities.

Cr Venditti-Taylor was elected mayor for a one-year term at the Shire’s statutory meeting last week, with Cr Jarrod Bingham to serve as his deputy.

“I am honoured to be elected mayor and I thank my fellow councillors for their trust and confidence,” he said.

“I look forward to working together to deliver the best outcomes for every community in Moorabool.”

For his part, Cr Bingham expressed a similar shire-wide approach.

“I don’t want to be a Bacchus Marsh-centric councillor,” he said. “I’m a councillor for all of Moorabool.

“We’ve got many small towns and hamlets in our shire, and…I want to focus on the rest of the Shire (as well).”

Cr Venditti-Taylor identified seven projects and initiatives he wants to place a particular focus on, headed by the civic centre and the traffic issues.

In planning for a new civic centre in Bacchus Marsh, Cr Venditti-Taylor said he wants to ensure the local community has “a modern, accessible and efficient civic hub where residents can easily connect with local services”.

And in regard to traffic issues in Bacchus Marsh, he said: “[I will be] working with state and federal partners to address congestion, improve safety and deliver long-term transport solutions for the town.”

Cr Venditti-Taylor said he also wants to support Moorabool’s “unique” opportunity for diverse housing and industry.

“I will be advocating for the infrastructure and investment needed to unlock a wide range of housing options and employment opportunities across the Shire,” he said.

He said finally “putting the shovel in the ground” to deliver the aquatic and leisure facility the community has been waiting for at the Moorabool Aquatic and Recreation Centre will be a highlight.

And the new mayor also pledged to push for improvements to Griffith Street in Bacchus Marsh including streetscape upgrades, improved safety and better traffic flow.

He said those improvements would better support residents, businesses and future growth.

Cr Venditti-Taylor said he plans to be “championing” upgrades to the Shire’s parks and community facilities that improve liveability, access and wellbeing for families, and will work on delivering a refreshed master plan for Maddingley Park.

He said a refreshed master plan will create a “modern, community-focused plan that better meets current needs and supports sport, recreation and open-space use”.

Cr Bingham, meanwhile, said he is very grateful for the opportunity to serve as Cr Venditti-Taylor’s deputy.

Cr Bingham was a Shire councillor between 2016 and 2020, and rejoined the council at last year’s municipal elections.

He said he accepted the nomination for the deputy mayor position because he was now in a position to be able to commit to the time required.

Cr Bingham said the coming term will be an important one because it will encompass next year’s state election.

“Out in the west is going to be a bit of a battleground, so we do have an opportunity now to advocate for more funding,” he said.

In terms of his own priority projects, Cr Bingham said continued development of the Bald Hill activation plan would be a major one.

He was the driving force behind the Bald Hill development in his first term and has no plans to step away from it now.

“We’ve got the opening of stage three next month, and I will certainly be pushing for future stages because there’s a lot of work that has gone into this master plan by council officers, and there’s a lot of amazing things that are going to happen up there in the future,” he said.

In terms of traffic, Cr Bingham said he would advocate for a truck bypass to get trucks out of Bacchus Marsh, along with removal of the Griffith Street level crossing.

Cr Bingham said he was also excited about the indoor pool becoming a reality because it had been a long-term project for Bacchus Marsh and the Shire.