Thanks to a partnership between the City of Palmerston and the Northern Territory Government, seven Palmerston-based community projects will receive funding to the value of $1 million.

Council has accepted funding of $743,700 through the Government’s Special Community Assistance and Local Employment (SCALE) grant, at its Council Meeting Tuesday night, and will contribute an additional $256,300, delivering $1 million in total.

Projects earmarked for the grant include:
•    two mobile library vending machines to create an Anytime Library and enable contactless borrowing 24/7 of library items
•    a music recording studio and integrated live stream technology to continue to film Storytime online in a more professional setting 
•    Palmerston Recreation Centre renewals
•    upgrade Temple Terrace landscaping
•    increasing tree planting to increase our urban forest 
•    aerators to improve water quality in our local lakes
•    upgrade of public lighting to improve safety and security in dark spot areas

Council supports local contractors with its Buy Local criteria and is pleased for additional opportunities to create local employment in rolling out these projects. The seven projects will see an accelerated delivery timeframe which will ensure they are completed by 30 September 2020. This will guarantee an immediate stimulus to the local Palmerston’s economy and strengthen the community post COVID-19.

Council’s acceptance of $743,700 under the SCALE Grants Program was subject to various conditions, including Council adopting the ‘Public Benefit Concessions Policy for Commercial Ratepayers’. Council is meeting all required conditions and values the opportunity to continue to support local businesses through all available means.  

Quotes from City of Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell 

“Council welcomes this additional source of funding for local community projects that will improve the lives of Palmerston residents and businesses.”

“A highlight of these projects is the latest of several Council ‘firsts’.  Our progressive Library is leading the way with the Anytime Library vending machines, which will be the first of their kind in the Territory. We are proud of our library which was the first to stream StoryTime Online, to host Tales to Tails (therapy dog reading program) and host Drag Queen Storytime in the Territory. Our new extended opening hours make us the most accessible public library in the Northern Territory.”
 
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