July 8, 2019
The site of the former Murgon meatworks is up for sale if a serious developer wants to buy it, according to Deputy Mayor Cr Kathy Duff.
Cr Duff told last month’s meeting of the Murgon Business and Development Association (MBDA) that she had recently travelled to Eight Mile Plains to talk to the property’s owner, Allan Teys.
Cr Duff said she told Mr Teys the South Burnett Regional Council currently pays for a 1400 megalitre water allocation for Murgon but only uses an average 500 megalitres of it.
While the Council would reserve a further 250 megalitres for a buffer, it had 750 megalitres available to service any existing development that wanted to expand in Murgon, or any new development that wanted to move into the area.
Cr Duff said Mr Teys told her his company had no plan to move its Beenleigh abattoir because of the large investment it had made in the Beenleigh site, nor any plans to build new abattoirs.
She said the company’s recently expanded Murgon Tannery was now at capacity and took all its hides from Beenleigh, so there were no expansion plans for the tannery at present, either.
Cr Duff said the former meatworks site was not being marketed because the company did not want to deal with “tyre kickers”.
However, Mr Teys told her the site was available to any serious developer with a sound business proposition that was not a meatworks, and his company would be willing to enter into negotiations if one could be found.
* * *
Byte Nites held at the South Burnett PCYC most Saturday nights since mid-May appear to be having a positive effect on reducing youth crime.
Cr Duff told the meeting feedback she had received from local police was that the community-led initiative appeared to be assisting crime reduction efforts.
“If you look at last year’s crime figures over the same time (period), crime is significantly reduced,” Cr Duff said.
“So it’s not just the cold weather.”
Cr Duff said the South Burnett Regional Council had donated some PlayStations and provided free wi-fi to assist with running Byte Nites, as well as some paint for the building that can be used in community-led projects.
MBDA president Leo Geraghty said he agreed with Cr Duff.
“I believe that with the help of the local community and businesses, we are achieving change with the programs currently in place,” he said.
* * *
The MBDA will revamp Murgon’s “Welcome To” and “Farewell” signs at a cost of $1650 but a long-standing plan to upgrade dilapidated signage on Barambah Road has been derailed.
The meeting was told several businesses along Barambah Road were keen to contribute towards an updated sign but the Council were not.
Without Council support, the cost of upgrading the sign exceeded local resources, and because the project promoted businesses it was ineligible for grant funding.
* * *
The MBDA is considering holding a networking dinner similar to the Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce’s six-weekly Meet & Greets, which routinely attract attendances of 50 or more.
The dinner would feature one or more guest speakers but whether the idea will proceed or not will depend on feedback from local businesses.
A survey will be distributed to Murgon businesspeople soon to test their interest in the concept, as well as several other business promotion ideas.
* * *
Murgon’s second Rail Trail Festival will be held on Sunday, July 21, and this year the MBDA is hoping for fine weather.
Last year’s Rail Trail Festival was held on the October long weekend and a spring downpour in the early afternoon caused it to shut down sooner than planned.
To avoid a repeat, this year’s event has been shifted to July and preparations for the day are now well advanced.
However, organisers are keen to recruit extra volunteers to help run the event, even if they can only spare a few hours on the day.
Potential volunteers should contact Murgon Real Estate or Clifton Motors for further information.
* * *
The Murgon Business and Development Association represents the businesses and community of Murgon and surrounding districts.
The group holds regular monthly meetings and new members are always welcome.
The MBDA’s next breakfast meeting will be at the Royal Hotel on Thursday, July 11, at 6:30am.
Breakfast is $15 and coffee an extra $4.
More details about MBDA membership and meeting dates can be obtained by contacting MBDA secretary Margaret Long at Murgon Real Estate on (07) 4168-2922 or 0413-488-418.
[UPDATED]
