Hi there!

As restrictions ease and we put lockdowns behind us, I hope you can take some time to reconnect with your loved ones, relax and recharge after another very challenging year.

I look forward to working with you in 2022 to make Belconnen an even better place to live. As always, you can contact me by calling 6205 0100, emailing [email protected] or chatting to me in person at one of my regular mobile offices.

My office will be closed from Christmas Eve until Tuesday 4 January to give my team a well-earned break.

What’s been happening in Belconnen?

A lot of work has been underway in Belconnen:

• Consultation has continued with the skateboarding and BMX community on the Belco Half Pipe. The new pipe is set to drop in early 2022.
• Upgraded toilet facilities in John Knight Memorial park are complete. Make sure you check them out on your next walk, picnic or game of disc golf.
• The path around Lake Ginninderra in front of the Belconnen Arts Centre is now finished!
• The Jamison Tree Pilot Project is live and may serve as a model for other carparks.
• The 2021-22 ACT Budget was recently passed in the Assembly and I’m proud that included in it are $36.2 million for a range of infrastructure upgrades at Calvary Public Hospital Bruce, additional funding for the planning and design work for future Northside hospital infrastructure, and $14.9 million to expand our tree planting program.

FOGO is a go-go!

The food organics and garden organics (FOGO) pilot has begun! Recycling food scraps and garden waste will divert food waste from landfill and we’ll process it into compost right here in Canberra.

If you live in Belconnen, Bruce, Cook or Macquarie and your household has its own wheelie bin, you’re part of the pilot. A number of complexes with shared bins are also part of the Pilot – your strata manager should let you know if your complex is one of them.

If you’ve got any questions about what can go in the FOGO bin or how it works, you can find out more at act.gov.au/fogo

New Belconnen Access Canberra Service Centre

Belconnen is home to the busiest Access Canberra Service Centre in the ACT.

Construction of a new, expanded Service Centre is well underway and is anticipated to open in January 2022.

The new Service Centre is located right next door to the existing one. The larger floorplan will accommodate more customers and allow more counters to operate while maintaining physical distancing.

Early pregnancy loss certificates

The loss of a pregnancy can be heartbreaking, traumatic and isolating. To help recognise that loss, the ACT has introduced early pregnancy loss certificates.

These commemorative certificates are available to parents who have lost a baby before 20 weeks gestation.

Parents can choose from several certificate designs featuring specially commissioned artworks.

These certificates are available to anyone who has experienced pregnancy loss in the ACT, at any time - including retrospectively. The certificates are free of charge and no medical evidence is required.

You can apply online via the Access Canberra website.

Have your say: William Hovell Drive Upgrades

The ACT Government is duplicating William Hovell Drive from the intersection of Drake Brockman Drive to John Gorton Drive, including construction of a dedicated off-road shared path.

More than 20,000 vehicles per day travel on this section of road and this will increase as the area continues to develop.

You can review the plans and have your say at yoursayconversations.act.gov.au/WHDupgrade

Feedback closes at 11.59pm on Sunday, 19 December.

Belco Bikeway extended

Detailed design work is underway for the second stage of the Belco Bikeway, including an asphalt cycle path along Haydon Drive to the AIS.

This final stage of the Bikeway connects it to the City via the C3 Principal Community Route.

Celeberate New Year’s Eve in Canberra

To ring in 2022, roving entertainment will be held from 6-9pm on New Year’s Eve at Lake Burley Griffin before fireworks at the central, east and west basins at 9pm and midnight.

This means there’s heaps of room to spread out with family and friends, enjoy local performances by roving artists, and of course indulge in the food and drink offerings of local businesses.

I wish you, your family and your friends a safe and happy holiday period.

Until next time,