By JESSE GRAHAM
CURRENT achievements and future developments in Yarra Glen were discussed by community members and Yarra Ranges Council workers in a community walk earlier this month.
The walk, which featured numerous business owners and community identities, councillors, Mayor Jim Child and council representatives, took place on Tuesday 15 October.
A number of visits to local attractions, such as the playground in McKenzies Reserve, the Yarra Glen Men’s Shed and the Yarra Valley Railway were part of the walk, which was held to showcase the town’s assets and mark areas for improvement.
Yarra Glen Chamber of Commerce president Alex Lagerwey said the walk was also aiming to improve and build on community cohesion with the town’s future.
Parking was raised as one of the major issues in the town at the walk, with Mr Lagerwey expressing that many car-park areas, including the rooftop parks above IGA, were under-utilised due to a lack of signage.
Resident Dorothy Winter said that parking restrictions on Bell Street needed to be addressed, as three hour restrictions on the main road did not apply on Sundays or after noon on Saturdays.
Ryrie Ward councillor Fiona McAllister asked Ms Winter to contact her to help resolve the problem through council.
Areas that are set to grow, such as the Yarra Valley Railway (YVR) station, were stops on the walk and YVR president Brett Morton spoke about the railway’s construction effort.
Mr Morton said the effort to restore the station to its former looks was the result of a heritage grant and that the majority of the work was being undertaken by volunteers.
“The station is being restored – slowly, but surely, we’re getting there,” he said.
Mayor Jim Child congratulated the state government for donating four kilometres of rail materials to the YVR and said the group were doing a fantastic job with their work.
Ideas were also put forward for the redevelopment of the river-bank area near the recreation reserve, resurfacing the trail from IGA to the Yarra Glen Racecourse and development of the public toilets site in town.
