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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“I am honoured to be elected mayor and I thank my fellow councillors for their trust and confidence,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I look forward to working together to deliver the best outcomes for every community in Moorabool.”<\/p>\n
For his part, Cr Bingham expressed a similar shire-wide approach.<\/p>\n
“I don’t want to be a Bacchus Marsh-centric councillor,” he said. “I’m a councillor for all of Moorabool.<\/p>\n
“We’ve got many small towns and hamlets in our shire, and\u2026I want to focus on the rest of the Shire (as well).”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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”.<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p>\n
Cr Venditti-Taylor said he also wants to support Moorabool’s “unique” opportunity for diverse housing and industry.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He said those improvements would better support residents, businesses and future growth.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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”.<\/p>\n
Cr Bingham, meanwhile, said he is very grateful for the opportunity to serve as Cr Venditti-Taylor’s deputy.<\/p>\n
Cr Bingham was a Shire councillor between 2016 and 2020, and rejoined the council at last year’s municipal elections.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Cr Bingham said the coming term will be an important one because it will encompass next year’s state election.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
In terms of his own priority projects, Cr Bingham said continued development of the Bald Hill activation plan would be a major one.<\/p>\n
He was the driving force behind the Bald Hill development in his first term and has no plans to step away from it now.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n