April 6, 2021
Blackbutt’s CBD will get a softer, more modern look if the South Burnett Regional Council votes to spend an extra $750,000 on revitalisation for the town.
Council officers have recommended the project’s initial $550,000 budget be expanded to $1.3 million to accommodate a number of ideas suggested by residents during two days of community consultation meetings held in Blackbutt last December.
They recommended the extra money be taken from Council’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure funding or Works For Queensland funding.
Suggested improvements include:
- Footpath and kerb rehabilitation on the northern side of Coulson Street between Hart and Muir streets
- Installing coloured footpath surfacing on the northern side of Coulson Street between Hart and Muir streets
- Footpath rehabilitation on the southern side between of Coulson Street from John Street to the full-width footpath
- Installing coloured footpath surfacing on the southern side for the full width section on Coulson Street from Hart Street
- Creating two new disabled parking bays on Coulson Street
- Adding a refuge pedestrian crossing midway along Coulson Street, including associated landscaping and a shelter
- Installing raised planters and low-maintenance vegetation along Coulson Street’s central median
- Installing softfall around playground equipment in Les Muller Park
- Relocating the Christmas Tree structure to Les Muller Park
- Removing the clock tower from Coulson Street’s central median
- Footpath renewal works in Les Muller Park, and
- Extension of footpath renewal works along Hart Street, north towards Douglas Street
Officers said without the $750,000 extra funding, improvements would be limited to refurbishing Coulson Street’s kerbs and footpaths, colouring the northern footpath and installing disabled parking bays.
Officers noted most of Blackbutt CBD’s infrastructure has either reached the the end of its useful life or is moving towards it, and will require future maintenance anyway.
However, reducing the number of defects in the CBD precinct will reduce the Council’s exposure to liability.
A future stage of the Blackbutt CBD refurbishment will include installing a roundabout at the intersection of Hart and Coulson streets.
However, officers said this improvement will require approval from the Department of Transport and Main Roads, and State or Federal Government funding.
Councillors will vote on whether to expand the project’s budget at Wednesday’s Infrastructure Standing Committee meeting.
- Related article: Council Considers Christmas Tree Move
I very much doubt that anybody in Blackbutt told you/suggested to you that you remove parking from Coulson Street. We DO NOT want Blackbutt businesses ruined the way the last lot ruined Nanango.
LEAVE OUR EXISTING PARKING ALONE & GIVE US MORE PARKING, NOT LESS. Why in the world would you want to put an eating area in the middle of a highway or consider taking money from local roads & infrastructure when this town has goat tracks in some of the urban roads?
A pedestrian crossing in the middle of Coulson Street, obviously without considering that we have massive trucks thundering down here, yet you seem to think they will be able to slow down or even stop to let pedestrians across?
Why would you consider relocating the clock tower when you don’t maintain it now, or alter the time after a storm? What of the existing infrastructure needs maintaining & how are you going to do it if you take money out of it’s budget for the idiocy you are now proposing? How in the world can you possibly think it’s a good idea to put a grassy area or a garden in a parking place in front of a business or to make the road narrower? Where do you think the caravans, trucks or motor homes are going to park when you remove existing parking spaces?
Some of these vehicles take up two or three spaces! Please explain how you think any of these things are going to improve Blackbutt apart from making a little bit pretty? It’s time you dumped the word pretty & started thinking practical or priority.
I don’t see any mention of the removal of the sawdust in the playground, the removal of the timber cart to the showgrounds or the building of a new, safe walkway over the creek! What happened to those promises? I am not amused!
I wholeheartedly agree with Maureen’s comments. Would Council please forget “beautification” and replace it with “practicality, priority, real need and affordability”!
An eating area in the middle of a highway where smelly cattle and pig trucks are thundering by? Who has ever heard of such a nonsense? If someone travelling through Blackbutt and wants to rest – there is the park next to the council chambers, a few tables/benches at the eastern entrance of town, and why not incite them to stop at one of the restaurants or cafes?
Planter boxes and more vegetation, why? Your maintenance personnel isn’t even able to look after the few standing there now, these only look good a few days before and after the Avocado Festival.
Come on guys and gals, wake up to reality and stop building castles in the sky.
Extremely valuable and sensible comments and agree totally on “affordable and practical” aspect of the planned improvements. Pretty doesn’t grow a town or region but practical/useable/efficiency/affordable does. Nanango lost valuable parking, a lesson and mistake which SBRC should have learned from.
Please don’t let them install park seating like in Maidenwell. See the ones in Wondai. This is Queensland, a sunny State.
I agree with Maureen, consult the locals, Don’t repeat the Nanango result.
Pretty? Pretty ridiculous! Coulson Street is fine as it is. How about building safe footpaths through the town to allow residents safe walking paths! You need to stop spending our money on ridiculous ideas and spend on practical necessities for our residents.
We are already $40 million in debt! Is any of this necessary? I daresay the rate payers will cop it all …
I would say it’s a very grubby looking main street and needs to be KEPT CLEAN CONSISTENTLY in shop fronts, footpaths, gardens and out the front of shops.
I would also ask is there any way you can divert just the huge semi-trailers from the main street to make it safer and more enjoyable place to want to hang around and drink more coffee in?
I would want to look around at more of the services the local businesses have to offer in a peaceful setting without the unsettling roar of the trucks eg. some nice tranquil music coming from a gift shop entices you in if you can hear it.
Create an enjoyable township to want to stay longer and spend your money in.
Being now a year after all these other comments above has ANYTHING been done at all?