LAST week council endorsed a four-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Friends of the Great Victorian Rail Trail (GVRT).
The MOU aims to specify the roles and responsibilities of the Friends GVRT group and council towards the continuing development and up-keep of the trail.
As part of the MOU, council will continue to be responsible for maintaining the trail sitting within municipal boundaries and providing guidance on events or projects the Friends wish to undertake.
The Friends will continue to provide input into the management, development and promotion of the Trail and advocate for improvements and applications for funding.
Additionally, they will undertake volunteer works along the trail, such as planting, weeding and litter collection with approval from council.
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Cr James Tehan congratulated Friends of the GVRT, commending them for their support and work on the trail.
“If it wasn’t for the Friends, it would all be left up to council,” he said.
“It would not only be a lot of work, but it would be a big cost to ratepayers.
“I think the group is doing a fantastic job and you can see by the figures that more and more people are using the trail.”
Economic development officer tourism, events and youth Gareth MacDonald, said this is the first time there has been an MOU between the Friends and council.
“The benefits of the MOU are that it sets out clear guidelines of what each party can do, what we expect from each other in relation to maintenance, projects and involvement of the group in consultation,’ he said.
Cr Mark Holcombe added the work that the group does is over and above.
“What the group contributes is really fantastic,” he said.
“There not many groups that have an MOU with us and it shows the importance of forming these relationships.”
