Better together: two Council teams partner to connect with the community

Published: 16 Sep 2022 3:22pm

The new Agile Library Service and Council’s Vegetation Management team combined efforts this week to engage with the Uranquinty community.

Residents were invited to visit the Agile Library at its regular pull-up site on Connorton Street, located between the Uranquinty Neighbourhood Centre and the Men's Shed.

Agile Library Officers ran a Storytime session for the children at the Uranquinty Preschool and assisted community members to get their new Wagga Wagga City Library membership cards and access collections.

Meanwhile, the Vegetation Management team gave great advice on weed control techniques and distributed free native plants to community members as part of the ‘One Tree for Me’ program.

Agile Library Officer Murray McBryde said the rollout of the Agile Library Service is progressing well.

“Being able to get out and provide the library service to residents living in more remote areas of our Local Government Area and see the smiles on people's faces has been particularly rewarding,” Mr McBryde said.

“People are starting to recognise the Agile Library vans while we are on the road which is great to see.

“While the service is about facilitating access to books and other library services, it’s not just about reading. It also creates opportunities for more social connection in both suburban and rural communities.”

Vegetation Management Officer Chris Holman said working with the Agile Library Service provided a great opportunity to engage with the community, to share knowledge, and open channels for conversation with landholders in Uranquinty.

“While our core business is managing weeds on Council land and roadsides and facilitating inspections of farms, nurseries and landscaping suppliers, an important aspect of our role is educating the community on weeds of concern,” Mr Holman said.

“Weeds are highly invasive in nature and are getting into our primary agricultural land, which impacts on harvest, cropping yields and even livestock. Farmers are losing valuable products, and this negatively affects the overall economy.

“The planting of natives can be a great solution as they are low maintenance, low water usage, improve our overall urban environment and provide competition for weed species.”

To find out more about the importance of managing weeds and the services Council provides, head to: wagga.nsw.gov.au/weeds

For information on the Agile Library schedule, visit: waggalibrary.com.au/agile-library