December 14, 2016
The South Burnett Regional Council will take on 10 trainees in 2017, and will begin advertising the positions on January 9 on the SBRC’s website and in local media.
Cr Ros Heit told Wednesday’s Council meeting that traineeships will be offered in administration, warehousing, horticulture and civil engineering.
Applications will close in late January.
After this, shortlisted applicants will be interviewed and appointments made, with an expected start date in early April.
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Memerambi Estate property owners are very close to getting power connected to their homes, Cr Spud Jones told Wednesday’s meeting.
Council’s subcontractor had finalised electrical works for the subdivision and Ergon has accepted them.
Ergon will start their own onsite work this week, and the estate should be connected to the grid by early next year.
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Work on relocating the Blackbutt Memorial Hall is progressing … very slowly.
Cr Jones said the hall’s proposed new location in Bowman Road had been surveyed, and the design of the supporting infrastructure that will serve the new site had begun.
The hall is expected to be moved in the first quarter of next year.
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A cycleway will be built in Alford Street, Kingaroy between the Kingaroy Swimming Pool and First Avenue, Cr Jones told the meeting.
However, the section of Alford Street near the pool that is currently closed will stay that way for awhile yet.
The concrete base and aprons for the Alford Street culvert had been poured, but workmen still need to lay drainage boxes, carry out backfilling and pour the wingwalls to complete the project.
Once this is done, work on the cycleway project can proceed.
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Murgon is close to getting better, cleaner water, Cr Roz Frohloff told the meeting.
The upgrade of Murgon’s water treatment plant, which has been proceeding for many months, is coming to an end.
Repairs to the plant’s filters are nearly finished and filter media are expected to be loaded in the next few weeks.
All going well, the refurbished plant will be commissioned early in the new year.
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Cr Frohloff also thanked Kingaroy residents for limiting their water use over a 24-hour period on December 8.
The Gordonbrook Water Treatment Plant had been struck by lightning, which limited the amount of water processing that could be carried out.
Repairs were effected quickly, though, and restrictions on Kingaroy’s town water were lifted in less than a day.
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Revenues at the South Burnett’s two dams have increased despite a fall in occupancy rates compared to the same period last year.
Cr Kathy Duff told Wednesday’s meeting Boondooma Dam generated almost $298,000 between July and November this year, while Bjelke-Petersen Dam made $299,000.
Visitor numbers were about 1200 down on the same period in 2015, but total revenues were $30,000 higher.
Cr Duff reported the average visitor stays at either dam for about three and a half days.
Powered caravan sites are the most popular type of accommodation at BP Dam, while Boondooma Dam’s guests prefer unpowered campsites ahead of powered ones, bunkhouse accommodation or cabins.
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Residents who make a mess on Christmas Day will have to live with it until Boxing Day.
All Council waste facilities will be closed on December 25, but will reopen the following day.
Residential wheelie bin services will not be affected by the festive season, though, and collections will occur as usual.
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Random drug tests of the SBRC’s workforce have so far failed to find anyone on drugs, Councillors were told.
But the Council’s random drug testing policy will continue to ensure the safety of both staff and the community.
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Durong Hall and Mondure Hall will have their public liability insurance covered by the South Burnett Regional Council.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Councillors heard the SBRC currently gives annual grants of $1000 to nine not-for-profit groups in the region to help pay for their public liability insurance.
The Durong and Mondure Hall Committees had both applied to be included in this program.
Councillors agreed to do this for 2016-17, subject to further review when they developed the 2017-18 Budget.
