1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Well, we are quite close now to Christmas. It feels 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,400 Speaker 1: as though we're almost there. The kids are wrapping up 3 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: at school. Tomorrow's the last day for a lot of them, 4 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: but there is still plenty going on at the moment 5 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: for the City of Darwin around Christmas. And joining us 6 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,800 Speaker 1: in the studio is the CEO of the Darwin City Council, 7 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:20,119 Speaker 1: Simone Saunders. Good morning to you. Good morning Katie, Simone, 8 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: thanks so much for your time this morning. I do 9 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:24,439 Speaker 1: want to ask, firstly, there's still a few things happening, 10 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: isn't there before Christmas on the twenty fifth. 11 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 2: That's right, We've still got a great Christmas program. 12 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 3: And this Saturday is the Santa Fun on Wheels which 13 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 3: is the chan Ward Christmas event at Nightcliff and it 14 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:40,239 Speaker 3: kicks off at five pm with the actual fun on 15 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 3: wheels and then from six point fifteen pm is the 16 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,479 Speaker 3: Curls by the Sea, so free entry and a Nightcliffe 17 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 3: Pool actually has free entry from three pm to eight 18 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:53,159 Speaker 3: thirty pm, So yeah, come down and enjoy Santa's Fun 19 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 3: on Wheels. 20 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: And so where's the Carols by the Sea. Is it 21 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: just there at Nightcliffe as well? 22 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 3: Yeah, just there at Nightcliffe as well, so after the 23 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 3: the Santa on wheels, then we move into the carrols 24 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 3: there on Saturday night. 25 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: Oh it is. It is certainly feeling a lot more 26 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 1: like Christmas this week. I reckon people slowly starting to 27 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: wind down a little more. And the kids laugh all 28 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: that stuff, don't they. 29 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, And with the kids finishing up soon, you know, 30 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 3: during the school holiday, City of Darwin's got a great program. 31 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 3: So from the sixteenth of December through to the twenty 32 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 3: ninth of jan lots of free events happening around the 33 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 3: city and within our libraries, so you know, rime time, storytime, 34 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 3: the usual things, but also you know, movies for older kids. 35 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 3: So a great program, all available on our website. 36 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: Good stuff. Hey Somemond, the new scooters, they've been in 37 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:41,959 Speaker 1: action now for a couple of weeks. We caught up with, 38 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 1: you know, with the team that looks after those scooters 39 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 1: a week or so ago and had said that they'd 40 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 1: said that they've been really quite popular from council's perspective. 41 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: How have they got in those first couple of weeks. 42 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, look, from our perspective, it's been a great and 43 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 3: really smooth transition. You know, see the purple scooters around 44 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 3: town and just offering with the sit down scooters as well, 45 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 3: but no, performing really well and yeah, happy to have 46 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 3: Beam in town. 47 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, good stuff. And like I said, it does seem 48 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: as though they're going quite well and people seem to 49 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:14,679 Speaker 1: be I guess, just quite open to that change over. 50 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:16,639 Speaker 1: Do they have the bikes still as well? They do, 51 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 1: don't they. 52 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:19,519 Speaker 3: Yeah, they've got the e bikes as well, and they're 53 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 3: available for those longer trips. We'll also work with Beam 54 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:24,239 Speaker 3: and we'll do a bit of a review after a 55 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 3: couple of months and see how they're going, you know, 56 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 3: see where the usage is and make sure we have 57 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 3: you know, the scooters and bikes in the places where 58 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 3: people people are need them and utilizing them now. 59 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: I know. There has also been some updates from the 60 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: City of Dawa and around the Civic Center redevelopment. Where 61 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: are things at with that. 62 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, So in sort of late twenty twenty two, we 63 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,440 Speaker 3: did some community consult to get a functional design for 64 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 3: the civic center, so talk to the community about what 65 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 3: they would like to see in a new civic center. 66 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 3: And we're at the stage where the functional design is finished, 67 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 3: so we know what we need to to house I 68 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 3: guess City of daw and going forward and the activities. 69 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 3: So what has been released is the expressions of interest 70 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 3: to look at you know, who's interested in potentially you know, 71 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 3: partnering to redevelop our civic center. 72 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 1: How do you sort of envisage it all looking down there, 73 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: and I know it is going to be like you said, 74 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: there is that community consultation, but what like how how 75 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: do you think it's going to all roll out? What's 76 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: it going to look like? 77 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 2: So that will be up to the developers to come back. 78 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 3: We've got quite a large footprint down there, and it 79 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:27,079 Speaker 3: doesn't have to be a knockdown and a rebuild where 80 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 3: the current civic center is. We've got the car park 81 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 3: next door, so it may be that, you know, we 82 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 3: end up somebody says, you know, a big better to 83 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 3: build on the car park next door and really open 84 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 3: up the green space around the Tree of Knowledge and 85 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 3: maybe even that access to Civic Park and down Cavanagh Streets. 86 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 3: So it really will what what the developers and people 87 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 3: you know think would really work for the civic center. 88 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,119 Speaker 1: So potentially that car park could be taken out. 89 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, potentially as part of the redevelopment with and in 90 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 3: the expressions of interest, there's an additional three hundred car 91 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 3: parks that need to form part of part of this development. 92 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 3: And therefore we know that heat sinks and open air 93 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 3: car parks aren't great for the city, so we'll be 94 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 3: looking at other alternatives with car parks, and generally that 95 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 3: leads you to underground or multi story car parks to 96 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 3: better utilized space and land. 97 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: When do you anticipate that we'll have a better idea 98 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: of what it's all going to look like and when 99 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:21,279 Speaker 1: a tender might be awarded. 100 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 3: Yes, so it closes the expressions of interest on the 101 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 3: twenty second of February next year, and after that then 102 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:29,159 Speaker 3: a formal tender will go out. 103 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:30,839 Speaker 2: So it won't be until the formal. 104 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 3: Tender has been awarded and then the next piece of 105 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:36,359 Speaker 3: community console, which is really the architectural piece and the 106 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:38,279 Speaker 3: look and feel of the building. At the moment, we 107 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:40,040 Speaker 3: know we've got a box, this is how much space 108 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 3: we need and the elements within it. Some of the 109 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 3: elements which was really great to see people mostly visit 110 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,719 Speaker 3: the library there and would like more maybe family or 111 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:53,479 Speaker 3: creative space. There's been talk of getting a cafe in there, 112 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 3: potentially a town hall as well, and to really open 113 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 3: up that space is a community space where people can 114 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:02,039 Speaker 3: come and park ese and get access to the library 115 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:03,160 Speaker 3: and community facilities. 116 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:05,279 Speaker 1: So when my kids were little, it was somewhere where 117 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: I did spend quite a bit of time because you 118 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: could take them out and about, you could keep them occupied, 119 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:11,280 Speaker 1: and it was nice and cool as well, like when 120 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: they were little, tiny kids. So it is a good 121 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: spot and I know it is very popular, particularly with 122 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 1: the mums and kids. Now. I know that there has 123 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 1: also been some work on Atkins Drive, as I understand 124 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 1: it's some upgrades there. What exactly is council done. 125 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:30,359 Speaker 3: So on Atkins Drive near Darwin High and Conishers Street, 126 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,160 Speaker 3: there has been it's been what's deemed black spots, so 127 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 3: that means where we've had an accident that's resulted in 128 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 3: casually a presentation at hospital in the past five years. 129 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 3: There is funding available from the federal government, so we've 130 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 3: received that funding. There'll be some speed humps that will 131 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,160 Speaker 3: be put in over the next week near Darwin High 132 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 3: so coming down the hill on our canstrive and then 133 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 3: also there'll be additional traffic calming that will happen in 134 00:05:56,279 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 3: February March next year, which will see some public pedestrian 135 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 3: refuge put in as well to make sure people can 136 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 3: cross safely there. 137 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: And was that needed, like a people are people hoooning 138 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: around that area or why was it needed? 139 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:12,039 Speaker 3: I think when it meets the black spot criteria, it's 140 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:13,839 Speaker 3: one of the ones that we then proposed to the 141 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:17,159 Speaker 3: federal government for funding and they then the federal government 142 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 3: selects which one suit the funding requirements. 143 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: Well, someone Saunder's good to speak to you this morning, 144 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:25,320 Speaker 1: the CEO of the City of Darwin. Thanks so much 145 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:27,240 Speaker 1: for your time. Thank you, thank you, and have a 146 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: good Christmas as well. We won't see you before then, 147 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: same to you. Thank you.