That was the message from Director Infrastructure Services, Jonathon Edgecombe to his outdoor Council staff.

"We sometimes get a hard wrap in the media, but you guys work really hard and there are local faces behind our amazing gardens and playing fields," he said.

One example was that of Tony Luchetti Oval.

"This field has never looked better and it's due to the hard work of our staff," he said.

Lithgow City Council has received quite a few positive comments from tourists passing through the city about how well kept the grounds have been, according to general manager Craig Butler.

Mr Butler said one of these tourists came from the Hawkesbury and apparently she has taken to always stopping and relaxing in Queen Elizabeth Park. She commented on how lovingly cared for the park is.

Another person dropped into the tourism centre and complimented the parks and reserves staff on the quality of maintenance they have delivered for these public places during a season with really high growth rates.

Mr Edgecombe said the staff of Lithgow City Council take great pride in their work.

"Often going above and beyond the call of duty to best ensure the expectations of the community are met and exceeded, where possible," he said.

"We have been receiving significant community appreciation of late, particularly in response to Council's efforts in maintaining our streetscapes, playing fields and open spaces during this difficult growing season.

"Hearing this appreciation feels fantastic; all anyone wants is for their hard work to be recognised."

The past year has been hard for Lithgow Council as they faced limited resources, a pandemic, natural disasters and increased costs of operation.

"While we continue to improve how we work, these challenges are real and must be addressed daily," he said.

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"Our front-line workers, those you see on the streets maintaining our roads, mowing our open spaces and repairing our water infrastructure, are often most affected by these challenges.

"Yet, they continue to work around the clock, ensuring that Lithgow's sense of community spirit is supported by beautifully maintained towns and villages."

Mr Edgecombe said his staff are 'in it' for Lithgow and its people and an incredible amount of work is produced by a 'dedicated but small' group of people.

Council receives letters of appreciation across all of their functions including those services offered by our cemeteries, the maintenance performed on public roads, those new footpaths installed, play equipment replaced, parks mowed and water mains repaired promptly in the dead of night, often before the majority of people realise an outage.

"Over the past 12 months, these letters and phone calls have been increasing, and in every instance get relayed back to those staff who are responsible," he said.

"From my perspective, this has kept the spirit of our staff high, in light of the challenges they face, and this is a fantastic thing."

Mr Edgecombe said there wasn't one person in particular he could shout out for their hard work.

"The staff of Lithgow Council work as a team, collectively delivering services across a very wide portfolio," he said.

"While it may not be possible to meet expectations in every instance, I appreciate the pride, dedication and spirit that is shown on a daily basis by all of our employees.

"I also appreciate the understanding, patience and acknowledgement offered by our community in response to this work."

Mr Edgecombe said if the community would like to bring something to Council's attention, appreciation or otherwise they are welcome to contact the Customer Service team.

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