District Council of Barunga West

projects. The majority of the fund has been going into building car parks in community facilities. According to Andrew, such projects would not have been possible without foresight. After all, the council has been proactively upgrading its asset management plans to have better data and control the flow of community work easier. Aside from tourism and agriculture, the largest employer in the area is aged care. The council always keeps this in mind when making plans and it has adopted an approach that benefits people of all ages. The most recent project for the older community included a shared access track for gophers and walkers. The 1.5 km pathway was built to provide safe access to the shopping centre from a nearby retirement village as its residents had previously been commuting dangerously close to the highway. Council is also planning footpath upgrades to better connect residents in wheelchairs to the local shopping precinct and the foreshore. Of course, the council does not forget about the younger residents of the District either. In 2015, for instance, the council augmented the Port Broughton Skate Park with gravity drainage into a deep stormwater system in order to address the issue of rising groundwater near the park. The result was an area accessed and enjoyed by all members of the community, particularly kids and their families. This is part of the “age-friendly” view adopted by the management team as they attempt to consider the needs of every person in the community. Supporting the long- term sustainability of the District