More than $700,000 will be handed over to local community groups for projects aimed at helping the Mountains recover from last year's bushfires.
The successful grants applications, announced last week, embrace a wide range of activities, including erecting electronic noticeboards outside some of the local schools, propagating native plants until people are ready to re-plant their burnt gardens, information seminars and fun family days with an emphasis on properly preparing for the bushfire season.
One of the largest grants - of $105,000 - has been allocated to Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise (BMEE)?to run a bushfire building conference and expo to focus on best practice design, construction and landscaping in bushfire-prone areas.
BMEE chairman, Donald Luscombe, said the new expo would "demystify the current complex and overlapping regulatory requirements" and bring together a range of experts to "ensure residents of bushfire zones in the Blue Mountains and around Australia have access to the most up to date, integrated information".
He hoped the conference might become a "centre of excellence" and ultimately attract international interest.
The BMEE also benefits from a second grant, of $50,000, for the local food industry development project which will aim to position the Mountains as a leading quality food destination.
In other projects, solar-powered electronic signs will be installed at St Thomas Aquinas, Springwood Public, Winmalee Public and Winmalee High, Ellison Public and Mt Victoria Public schools. They will be able to be operated remotely via mobile phone, allowing instant updates during fires or other emergencies.
The people of Yellow Rock will benefit from a $50,000 grants to council to develop the local park into a community space, incorporating an art space celebrating the resilience of the local people.
The Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre will receive $50,000 to employ a project worker to run a series of linked community initiatives embracing both Blackheath and Mt Victoria.
The Mountains Youth Services team will get $24,000 for two midnight basketball bushfire recovery tournaments for vulnerable youth, one in Katoomba and the other in Springwood.
And Springwood Neighbourhood Centre was granted $29,200 for Bounce Back, a series of physical activities to support mental health and resilience in recovery.
Blue Mountains MP Roza Sage said the bushfires had shown the capacity of local people to respond to crisis.
"These grants are going to be absolutely vital in boosting that capacity even further by strengthening the ability of our committed community sector and business operators to respond to disaster.
"There is also a focus on supporting events and programs which bring the community together to assist with the ongoing emotional recovery."
Member for Macquarie, Louise Markus, said the grants would provide a significant boost.
"This joint Commonwealth-State funding is about ensuring that as the Blue Mountains recovers from last year's devastating bushfires, it is also building resilience to better protect communities in the future," Mrs Markus said.
Labor spokeswoman for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, welcomed the investment but said it should have come much sooner.
"It's nearly a year since the fires and there's been a big vacuum in support that community groups have had to fill from their existing budgets."
The $704,000 in grants announced is round one. Applications are now open for round two. See www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/announcements/blue_mountains_flexible_community_grants_program.
