Revamped residents group gets strategic
* This article was published 10 years ago
Mabel Vargas has been in the job for just four months, but the president of the Southbank Residents Group has already begun to re-energise the group.
Ms Vargas admits it took a little while to find her feet in the new role but now feels comfortable in what she is undertaking.
She said the first priorities were revitalise the group’s image and then connect with the community.
The image is set for an upgrade, with the organisation of a social media strategy and a new website both in the pipeline.
The latest work in connecting to the community is a strategic plan for the group, to entice people to join, and make all members as effective as possible.
The strategic plan outlines the issues the SRG feel it needs to cover and also prioritises them, so that all meetings are kept on track and the members are all heading in the same direction.
The plan lists C171 Amendment and appropriate development, traffic congestion and noise, public school and childcare, police presence and appropriate open space as high priorities.
Sub-committees have been set up to cover all of these groups in another attempt to attract people to the SRG.
Ms Vargas suggests that the growth of Southbank’s residential population is the key to the group having a louder voice.
“The more the owner occupier rate increases, the more people will be concerned with these types of issues,” Ms Vargas explains.
Ms Vargas has also distributed a letter and petition for all residents, in another attempt to gain awareness and membership.
The letter also urges resident’s to take their own action by contacting Planning Minister Matthew Guy and Lord Mayor Robert Doyle.
As the number of residents continues to grow, Ms Vargas hopes the SRG will grow and prosper, and with her at the helm, it is certainly heading in the right direction •