What’s been happening in 2021 … and what’s going on in 2022?
The view from Bally Mountain, Bonogin
2021 remained a tough year for many and after 2020’s strict lockdowns it has been a bit hard to get going. Despite this difficulty, soon we will be reaching the half-way point in this local government term, and we’re well on the way with some of the bigger projects we had hoped to deliver.
We’ve seen the new Mudgeeraba Soccer Club training facility and changerooms finally delivered and officially opened. The Wi-Fi project at the Mudgeeraba Showgrounds including new CCTV has completed its first few stages (with more CCTV to come). Final designs have facilitated a delivery schedule for the Gilston Road pathway, and the second stage of the Hinkler Drive upgrade is currently being engineered. Pacific View Estate has rebranded to Skyridge and by the end of February/March 2022 it is expected over 500 lots of the approx 3000 expected in total will be council-approved ready for sale, poised to build on a very strong building services sector over the past 12 months. The Firth Park Masterplan project has progressed with Place Design Group appointed and already commencing hydraulic investigations in preparation for meetings with local community groups. Stage 1 of the Springbrook Rd pathway has been delivered with the next design stage reaching completion soon, ready for construction in 2022.
We’ve hosted #WesterlySwell now for two years running and 2021 saw a successful Mudgeeraba Show again welcome visitors “out to the country”. The d’Arcy Doyle Art Awards is poised for growth and we’ll be assisting to expand their program in 2022. The multi-million dollar renovation of the Wallaby Hotel has seen great music acts visit or area and a growing family clientele. The Woodchoppers Inn has replaced their pokies with a new distillery and brewing club (and some delicious flavours to augment their lovely BBQ menu, I might add). Our bushcare and environmental groups like Watergum have achieved much in 2020/2021 as well, with the Springbrook BioBlitz uncovering a number of new species and a new BioBlitz is scheduled for February 2022 in Numinbah Valley. With so much green and natural area in our division the work of these groups working on environmental projects cannot be overstated; it is critical and important work and I encourage volunteers to get behind their initiatives.
2022 is shaping up to be a big one, with lots of projects and activities worth mentioning. Here’s a snapshot of the Top 5 projects for 2022.
1. Lower Beechmont community space. - The state government has allocated $1.5million to deliver a community building in Lower Beechmont, at Syd Duncan Park. We’ve planned some designs and scoped out some locations as well as talked to the community about their preferences. In 2022 we’ll be taking that feedback and devising some designs that fit in well with community expectation and making some decisions about engineering design for construction in 2022/23.
2. Firth Park community centre and Councillor office - This one has been some time coming and a frustrating wait, since we moved out of our commercial tenancy in Swan Lane in March 2021. It looks like the community centre and Councillors office on the first floor at Firth Park (above the Redbacks and HDNA) should be complete by May 2022, delivering a new community centre for the use of local groups, and enabling a relocation of some of the louder groups that operate in the Mudgeeraba Music Centre, which was unfortunately delivered before my time without good capacity for soundproofing. With my new divisional office included in the scope, this will be a very warmly welcomed project.
3. Firth Park Sporting Precinct Masterplan - Place Design Group have already been appointed and circulated some speculative (but currently confidential) layouts for the new 54ha expansion of the Firth Park sports precinct. With approx 3 dual-use cricket/AFL fields, plus a new baseball diamond, netball courts, a community makerspace, and another few smaller multipurpose fields, this will probably be the most exciting (and probably expensive) project in our divisions history (you might have to not count the Hinze Dam expansion) and it has the potential to be a wonderful community legacy for our local area and the families who love to play recreational field sports. 2022 will see those layouts circulated to the community for their feedback and information, as we plan for delivery in future years. We remain hopeful and committed to finding long-term homes for the Bonogin Valley Bulls Cricket Club and the Mudgeeraba Spartans Junior AFL Club in the new precinct.
4. A new Division 9 office team - After almost ten years of relative consistency (yep, I was elected in 2012) the division 9 team that included Helen and Linda are transitioning to new opportunities! Helen has moved this month to a community project role in Cr Peter Young’s Division 5 office (which I’m sure she’ll excel at), and Linda has informed the team she intends to transition to retirement in coming years. Linda will still be with us for some time yet as she helps some new team members get accustomed to the Division 9 community, in a part-time Councillor PA role and in our Community Projects role. I can let you know Yasmin (pictured), who previously worked as an Executive Assistant for a number of companies as well as served in Council’s corporate communications branch, has accepted a role as the part-time PA. An experienced community strategist and event manager plans to join us in the community groups and projects role early in the New Year. I’m looking forward to you all meeting the incoming team in due course. I know they’ll be as awesome and as helpful as Helen and Linda (and previously Donna, Michelle and Chantel) have been over the past decade.
5. Roads, Paths, and Playgrounds! - As many of you know, this is our core business. The Gilston shared pathway, between Melody Park Aged Care Centre and the Gilston Hall will be delivered this coming year and the Hinkler Drive pathway and road verge improvements are progressing. There’ll be playground upgrades planned for Springbrook Centenary Park and Bochow Park in Natural Bridge. We’ll start design planning for an upgrade to the playground on Hinterland Regional Park on Hardy’s Road, including a connecting path to Somerset Drive. We’re working on a more strategic approach to private school bus services, auditing suitable bus stops in the area and engaging with local schools to optimise local families use of available bus services, ensuring wet weather shelters and optimum routes, hopefully reducing congestion around schools at drop-off and pick-up times. We’ve got 4 local schools in the Active Travel program which will mean the design and delivery of a number of improved road, traffic calming and pathway projects around state primary schools and private schools in our local area. Kings, Hillcrest and Somerset Colleges are all embarking on master planning processes that include an intention to improve traffic movement and reduce congestions around their facilities. It is also hoped we can plan and deliver a number of suburban traffic calming and safety projects in Worongary, Tallai, Reedy Creek and Mudgeeraba.
With so much on, and a new team to introduce, there’s no doubt that 2022 will be full of expectation and promise. As always, I’ll be doing my best to deliver on this expectation and promise and see our division deliver the best possible quality of life for residents and visitors.
My family; my wife Jude, and my sons John, Edward and Emerson; and my office wish you and your family the very best of relaxing and fun times for Christmas and a prosperous, successful and joyful New Year in 2022 to come.