by Emma Ballingall
Repeated pleas to improve Longwarry's recreation facilities, boost pedestrian safety in Neerim South and repair a historic Walhalla footpath were heard at a special Baw Baw Shire budget submission meeting last week.
Having been raised across multiple years, submitters urged councillors to take action in the upcoming 2025/26 budget papers.
Community members provided a wish list of diverse projects to the new councillor group ahead of the draft budget.
Wednesday's meeting featured 15 verbal submissions and followed 26 written submissions, urging ratepayer dollars to be invested in diverse projects from tree canopy cover, upgrades to a hall to act as an emergency hub, drainage projects, netball court upgrades and putting land aside for a Kurnai cultural centre.
Oval works at Longwarry were high on the agenda, with Steven Tuite talking of the "desperate need" to upgrade the oval and outdated facilities to provide for the growing town.

Having addressed council on the issue at the DEECA-owned facility mult