March 16, 2017
The long-awaited refurbishment of Kingaroy’s courthouse is expected to start at the end of March, more than six months after the tender for the project closed.
The upgrade was announced by Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington in December 2014, and had originally been expected to start in early 2015.
But the State election the following month derailed this schedule, and Mrs Frecklington was unable to confirm if it would still go ahead until June of that year, when Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath agreed the project would proceed in 2015/16.
A tender for the upgrade was called on June 22 – just eight days before the end of the financial year.
But the winning tenderer was not announced until January 30 this year, when the project was awarded to Toowoomba-based FK Gardner and Son Pty Ltd.
While delays in the project have frustrated many, one significant upside is that the originally planned $2.1 million project has now expanded to $5.3 million.
The scope of the original upgrade has been substantially increased and will now include an additional courtroom that can double as a conference room, extra rooms for legal representatives and court services, and disabled access to the main courtroom.
A special feature of the upgrade will be a direct connection between the courthouse and the recently completed Kingaroy police station, which will allow people to be escorted directly from the station’s cells to the court.
The project is now expected to be completed by the end of this year and could create more than 100 jobs for South Burnett sub-contractors.
While construction is underway, a temporary court house will operate at 157-163 Kingaroy Street.
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington said she was glad to see the upgrade was finally going ahead.
The former Kingaroy-based solicitor said she had been fighting for the courthouse upgrade for years, even before she was elected.
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