DOLLY Parton will improve literacy levels for local children if Tamworth Regional Council has its way.
Numbers of developmentally vulnerable four-year-olds in Tamworth are well above the state average for communication and language.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a free book gifting organisation aimed to inspire a love of reading in young children, on Tuesday, council will vote on whether or not to take part.
The project comes at a $19,000 price tag for the first six months, and if approved will kick off in January 2019.
Council will need to put aside another $70,000 to fully fund it for a year.
For sports fans, a community partnership with the Wests Tigers is on the cards after Tamworth hosted the first ever NRL regular season match in April 2018.
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The program will cost council nearly $100,000 a year, which it hopes to partially fund with government grants.
In turn, the Tigers will deliver a Tackling Truancy program, Indigenous Talent Camp, mental health workshops, junior league participation events, school engagement and two local presentations on leadership.
And, Tamworth residents have proved themselves thirstier than most.
A six monthly report to council on waste initiatives shows residents guzzled 3710 litres of water from the Peel Street and Bicentennial Park bubblers.
That’s a saving of 6,183 single use 600ml plastic water bottles that might have ended up as litter or in landfill.
The council meeting is on Tuesday August 28 from 6:30pm at council chambers on Peel Street.
