MUCH has been done, and much more is left to do. That is the message being presented by Gunnedah Shire Council (GSC) mayor Jamie Chaffey.
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In what was a difficult year that saw much of Australia in lockdown for an extended amount of time, Gunnedah continued to develop and push forward with many projects.
The biggest of which was in fact the largest individual piece of road infrastructure the town has ever seen - the $61 million road-over-rail bridge.
While it's estimated completion date is not until mid-2021, it opened to traffic in late November, which was a huge relief to locals and travellers alike who had found the town to be a 'freight pinchpoint' in the North West.
That was not the only road to receive attention though, with work either being completed or scheduled for the upgrades of Mystery Road, Bloomfield Street, Grain Valley Road, Clifton Road and Rangari Road.
Of course, COVID-19 did cause a delay for many of these projects, and councils all across the country scrambled to address one of the most significant interruptions to every day life since WWII.
GSC was no different, releasing a $1.6 million stimulus in April, which included freeze in interest accrual against rates, fees and charges, a reduction in business fees, and extension of existing grants programs to help businesses struggling due to restrictions.
"Like everyone else, we adapted our way of doing business to ensure people's needs continued to be met," said Cr Chaffey.
"But council also took an innovative approach to this difficult social and economic time and introduced the Community Resilience Business Recovery Package - Invigorate Gunnedah."
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Phase two of that package was worth more than $800,000, and was designed to support recovery, building and revitalisation initiatives for the community and its businesses.
Despite the significant difficulties faced throughout 2020, he highlighted the fact it actually began with the end of an issue that had been facing the region for years - the drought.
Heavy rains between January and March set Namoi Valley farmers up for a bumper harvest, so much so that a recent study found NSW farmers' confidence is at its highest since March 2008.
Cr Chaffey is hoping that will be the springboard to economic prosperity in 2021, and he believes a number of scheduled projects will give locals something to look forward to.
The Cultural Precinct Master Plan, new Koala Park and Gunnedah Saleyards redevelopment will be worked on in the new year, and as for the latter of those the demolition of the sheep yards has already begun.
Attracting more medical professionals to town will also be a key focus of GSC's plans over the next 12 months.
Finally, the mayor wanted to wish everyone a fun and safe holidays, marking an end to what has been a truly unforgettable year for many different reasons.
"On behalf of my wife Judy, myself, my fellow councillors and the entire team at Gunnedah Shire Council we extend our best wishes to you all for a very happy Christmas and New Year holiday period," he said.
"We hope this Christmas marks the end to a very uncertain time and gives us all the opportunity to focus on what this year has brought home to all of us - the importance of having our loved ones close."
