APRIL START LIKELY FOR $6 MILLION CAR PARK PROJECT

An April start is likely for the $6 million Macleay Island foreshore car park project.

Council detailed plans for the project were finally completed just prior to Christmas which finally made it possible for the tender process to get underway.

“I am pleased to announce that the tender for the project is scheduled to be advertised to the market during the third week of January 2017,” said Division 5 Councillor Mark Edwards.

“I have endeavoured to keep driving this project since becomming the Divisional Councillor.

“To finally reach the official tender stage is important.

“The tender process will take place for six weeks, and then those tenders will be assessed by council.

“I have been reliably informed by council officers that a decision will be made fairly promptly once the tenders are in.

“The selection of the successful tenderers for the various stages of the project should see a start on works in April,” the councillor said.

He added that the project would start with the ‘capping’ of the asbestos that is in the designated area of the car park additions.

Cr Edwards admitted that the Macleay car park process had been a long one.

“There were many hurdles to overcome, and I have to admit it looked for a time that the State Government was not going to approve it.

“It took the intervention of our Mayor Karen Williams and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to get the project on the right track.

During construction, council has arranged to improve the area next to the old LJ Hooker Macleay Island office for use for temporary and improved car parking, with cooperation from the new owner.

The existing car park will be changed to have 77 car spaces, which includes emergency vehicles and disabled, room for 2 buses, 8 motorbike parking spots and racks for 40 push bikes.

The new car park will have 132 car spaces but of those spaces some will be boat and trailer which will take out two car spaces for each one.

The boat parking can be regulated to make more available on the weekends and less during the week. If 10 bays were allocated to boats then there would be 112 car spaces.

That means all up there will be 189 car spaces, 10 boat and trailer spaces, 8 motor bike spaces, 2 bus areas, and 40 push bike spaces.

The councillor said: “I know Council officers are keen to maximise the utilisation of this area for parking.

“Car parks throughout the Redlands are subject to review and layout and I am sure that once we have a physical landmass to walk over, this will be no different,” Cr Edwards said.

• The Macleay Car Park work to start soon.

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