Boorowa mayor Cr Wendy Tuckerman said the integrated community facility project is only in its infancy at concept stage, however Council hopes to develop the concept rapidly to try and capitalise on federal grant programs, in particular the National Stronger Regions Fund which has recently been announced by the Federal Government.

“Submissions for round two of the program close July 2015 and it is our target to be shovel-ready by that time,” Cr Tuckerman said.

“We would also hope to leverage the NSW State Governments Restart NSW program should funding become available that aligns with the objectives of the project.”

Council had previously budgeted to initially focus on planning for a new medical centre, however due to a change in circumstances Council is now focused on planning for a more comprehensive facility that meets a number of priorities.

“We see a huge opportunity to attract private sector businesses as well as public servants to share our lifestyle but still be able to access their markets or normal places of work. In addition we see opportunities for telehealth as well as better access to educational institutions,” Cr Tuckerman said.

For the facility to be a success it would be reliant upon high-speed connectivity which is an area Council has been partnering with researchers from the University of Canberra as well as Regional Development Australia to investigate.

“Our partnership has been helping us to better understand the opportunities associated with high speed connectivity in rural communities and develop a business case to try and secure capital funding,” Cr Tuckerman said.

Should the facility proceed it would be considered unique and provide an excellent case study on how smaller rural communities can diversify economically and take some of the growth pressure off more metropolitan centres. 

“Council is extremely excited to get plans underway and hopefully come up with a successful model that may be adapted across the state and even the country,” Cr Tuckerman said.