There are many ideas on how the town could make Banna Avenue look neater. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
If you were given $3 million to make your town look more beautiful, how would you spend it?
That’s the choice Griffith Council is facing after the Federal and State governments gave it a grant in August to improve the CBD and local tourism sites.
The Griffith Business Chamber has canvassed input from its members and those in the community and come up with some creative ideas, which were presented at a recent council meeting.
From fixing uneven footpaths on Banna Avenue to providing free Wi-Fi in the centre of town to investing in better Christmas decorations, the chamber offered a variety of ways the funds could be used.
Here are some of the collated views.
‘Tidy up Griffith’ crusader Doreen Wood
The owner of Banna Avenue clothing store Valentine Modes, Doreen Wood made headlines in January after circulating a petition urging council to clean up a “tired, dirty” looking town.
Her first priority on how the $3 million should be spent is paving the centre block and getting rid of the “ugly, broken concrete”.
Doreen Wood’s petition called for Griffith to be cleaned up and revitalised. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
“Next would be to beautify our entrance down Prod Straight, which is an eyesore. The bushes need to go and be replaced with shrubs recommended by a specialist gardener as too much money has already been wasted on the wrong plantings, for example, on Yambil Street.”
She also wanted the entrances to town mowed and slashed and the plane trees on traffic islands restored to their original beauty.
Teacher Angela Morris and her Year 12 class
Marian Catholic College teacher Angela Morris sought input from her Year 12 class. They came up with:
- Finish connecting pedestrian footpaths around North Griffith to connect the hospital circle, the two primary schools and connect a safe and sealed footpath up to Pioneer Park and the new mural on the water tower
- Fix Lake Wyangan for it to become a hub for tourism
- More signage for the dangerous Noorilla and Boonah streets intersection
- An overhaul of entrances to the city.
Paddle boat riding in Lake Wyangan in 1984, when the waterway was the heartbeat of the town. Photo: Sharon Ponder/Old Griffith NSW Album Facebook page.
Councillor Scott Groat
Mr Groat said he asked visitors to the town for the recent Italian Festival their opinion of the city and how it could be improved.
“Most of the feedback was to enhance our entrances to the town with either sculptures or garden landscaping; being a garden city and an irrigation food bowl we should highlight what we do at our entries to the LGA boundaries. Travelling around, I’ve noticed sculptures in the town of Parkes, beautiful stone entries near Tamworth. Numerous towns have beautiful signs and sculptures. We need recognition of our irrigation history and Italian history and the role of pioneering farming history. We need to employ a junk artist for a horse and plough sculpture and waterwheels and artists for tile murals that can withstand weathering. There also was some comment on the main street needing a really good clean.”
Other ideas from chamber members
- Increased CCTV in Banna Ave to improve security
- More tree plantings where possible and shade to make shopping and walking more comfortable during the hot months
- Upgrade and add new street furniture, including more benches, bins and colourful features to create a safer, more welcoming space
- Offer a dollar-for-dollar grant program for local businesses to repair and paint their facades/signage
- More flagpoles with community messages of support year-round
- Use of speakers year-round, not just at festival times.
How would you make Griffith look more beautiful? Drop me a line of your idea to [email protected]
