September 15, 2021
South Burnett Regional Council will invite people with an in-depth knowledge of plants to join a new Botanical Advisory Committee (BAC).
Recommendations from the committee will guide the development of Council’s parks, recreation areas and town entrances, and also help inform decisions about streetscaping.
It is hoped the expertise of knowledgeable community members may also help avoid some of the major horticultural blunders made by former councils.
These included planting trees that lost their leaves during the region’s peak tourism season; building parking lots with shade trees that dripped gum and dropped branches on cars; and lining at least one town’s CBD with trees whose seeds posed a seasonal trip hazard for shoppers.
The motion to form the BAC was proposed at the SBRC’s Corporate Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday.
Once the terms of reference are finalised – a process expected to occur in the next few months – Council will call for nominations for to the group with the aim of recruiting two to four members.
The BAC will be chaired by Mayor Brett Otto and will also include senior Council parks and gardens staff, who can provide advice on the practical aspects of implementing any of the BAC’s recommendations.
Council’s Parks and Gardens portfolio leader, Cr Kathy Duff, will also sit on the BAC, along with Community General Manager Peter O’May.
The motion to form the Botanical Advisory Committee was moved by Cr Kathy Duff, seconded by Cr Danita Potter and carried unanimously.
