Cr Kathy Duff - Natural Resource Management & Parks Portfolio Report - 19 July 2017

Natural Resource Management

Coolabunia Saleyards

• Saleyard staff cleared a total of 2,707 cattle through the Coolabunia dip facility. Two fat & store sales and one Weaner Sale were held in June with a total of 1219 cattle yarded. The construction of the catwalk and yards have now been completed under the Work 4 Queensland Government Grant Funding.
• The Management of the Saleyards and Council’s dip facilities are currently out to expressions of interest which will close at 2.00pm on Tuesday the 25th of July 2017.

Fire Management

• Burns scheduled for June include reserves in the Maidenwell, Nanango and Gordonbrook areas have been undertaken.

Feral animal management

A total of 178kg of baits have been distributed throughout the region (90kg pig meat baits, 88kg dog meat baits) and 308 doggone baits sold. 4 Rabbits have been caught and injected and 8 Livestock Callouts have had Council Assistance.

Work 4 Queensland – update

BP Dam

• Cabin upgrades are continuing at Yallakool Caravan & Recreation Park.  To date all 9 new kitchenettes & Shower cavities have been installed.  Painting has been completed on cabins 1 to 3 and new curtains have been hung which has really lifted the appearance of the cabins. 

New steps and stringers will be installed on all 9 cabins with cabins 1-3 being completed next week.  Work is continuing on the remaining six cabins. 

Boondooma Dam

•  The design for stage one of the drainage project is completed and quoting for materials and services has started and will continue over the coming weeks.
• The cabin access design is completed and is out to procurement with construction scheduled for August/September.

Maintenance at Dams

• Yallakool Dam - Sanding and maintenance to the picnic tables at day area, gernied toilet block and all the roof of the 9 old cabins. All the gardens around and in pool area have been fertilized and the tennis court has been gernied and cleaned.
• Boondooma Dam – General Maintenance of camp grounds, look out area and Caravan Park has been completed and all the mowing has been done.

Parks & Gardens

Kingaroy

Kingaroy work has been continuing with tree pruning and maintenance. Sand has been replaced with softfall grade sand under swings at Apex Park.  There has been replanting of garden beds in the forecourt & CBD as well as a clean up of gardens in the forecourt, Youngman St carpark (behind council offices), Rotary Park & Apex Park.

Staff are also currently working through their winter maintenance program i.e. repainting, oiling park furniture & signs etc. They have also replaced the umbrellas at the Kingaroy forecourt as old ones were torn and untidy.

Murgon, Wondai

Murgon & Wondai winter jobs are well underway with pruning, hedging, de-suckering of park trees, cleaning and restoring of park benches. This includes tiding up all things that we don’t get around to during the busy times of the year.

Some capital works performed at Dingo Park in Wondai has seen an upgrade to four road side shelters. A new double stainless steel electric BBQ and BBQ shelter which has been erected along with a 6m X 4m Sheltered Picnic Area.

General Maintenance including mowing of road verges, parks and parklands continues as normal.

Proston

Proston - Staff have repainted all the divider screens for the Caravan Park and garden gutters, all the mowing is done and the hedgers have been trimmed on Blake Street and Collingwood Street and fertilized.

Nanango & Blackbutt

Oiling is finished on all of the park furniture in both towns. The new signs at the Nanango Cemetery have been installed and the septic trench clean up at Maidenwell has been completed. Most action requests have been completed except for those still waiting on contractor’s availability. Facility mowing is completed. Repairs have been completed to Benarkin toilets and Nanango gardens after vandalism and traffic accidents and some painting has been completed.