Councillors returned to Lithgow’s chambers on Monday night for an extraordinary meeting held to deal with matters that required attention before council’s first ordinary meeting of the year on February 26.

Mr Lesslie said he had a ‘number of goals’ for council, including attracting more businesses to Lithgow’s industrial areas. 

“The zoning at Marrangaroo is in its last stages, and will probably go through this financial year. At the moment it is zoned as rural residential but a third of the whole area will be within industrial zoning, ideal for small businesses to set up.”

Cr Lesslie said the council would consider incentives to attract business to Marrangaroo as well as other industrial zones including Portland cement works and Wallerawang power station. 

“We have to work with the state and government on this and can clearly stress the value of having people in business outside greater metropolitan areas.” 

Improving Lithgow as a tourist destination was also high on the mayor’s agenda.

“There are a number of plans in place at the moment, run by private groups and some by the council. For example we are doing the Blast Furnace Park redevelopment, Eskbank Station needs to be upgraded and we need to see how we can help the State Mine Museum to develop as well as the Zig Zag Railway. If we can upgrade Eskbank Station then we can have a rail line that connects all these infrastructure developments.”

As well as ongoing work on the council’s Farmers Creek project, Mr Lesslie mentioned solidifying a tourist route through the Capertee Valley and Lithgow’s townships as part of an Oberon tourist initiative ‘The Tablelands Way’.

“They are long-term aims but we need to work as the money becomes available, and never cut off the opportunities that come with that.”

The council will continue to focus on mental heath and campaign for further services in the area. 

“The mental health task force’s work in coordinating with services to ensure there is better access to services and more understanding of those services that are available was of great value last year,” Cr Lesslie said. 

“We need to be working with federal members on these things, assessing what more we can do and how we can pay for it.”

Mr Lesslie said he also looking forward to works on Main Street being completed and the realisation of projects for which council had sought grants including an upgrade of the Union Theatre and a new adventure playground. Those applications are awaiting a response from state government.

He said council would continue to look for funding to build public toilets in Rydal. 

Mr Lesslie also hoped council could build greater relationships with tertiary education institutions in Lithgow such as TAFE and universities, as well as play a ‘minor role’ in supporting artistic and sporting groups in the region. 

“They are what makes a town and a community,” he said. 

He contested that council was a site of conflict in 2017. 

“We’ve had healthy and vigorous debate, which I applaud. As a consequence we’ve had good and solid decisions coming from the council.”

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