Record Spend On Capital Works

SBRC has budgeted to finally complete the steps leading down to Coomba Falls at Maidenwell

July 5, 2023

South Burnett Regional Council plans to install solar panels on Council facilities in a bid to reduce electricity costs.

An allocation of $200,000 was made for the project in the recent Council Budget.

Other community assets funded in a record spend in the 2023-2024 Budget include upgrades to various parks across the region totalling $4.1 million, substantially funded by State and Federal government grants:

Resealing of the Dingo Creek car park at Wondai

Kingaroy to Murgon Rail Trail crossing repairs

Reseal of Kingaroy to Murgon Rail Trail

Kingaroy Memorial Park – Footbridge Replacement, Youth Precinct Redevelopment, new picnic tables under shelters

QEII Park Murgon – Stage 2 QEII Redevelopment

Murgon Skate Park- half basketball court

Coomba Falls at Maidenwell – completion of steps

Proston Lookout development

Kumbia Recreation Park redevelopment

Nanango – Butter Factory Park additional toilet block – $220,000

Kingaroy – Lions Park Amenities Replacement – $269,815

Works will also be undertaken at Les Muller Park in Blackbutt, Benarkin First Settlers Park, Nanango’s Pioneer Park, Nanango Lions Park, Kumbia Apex Park, Kingaroy Lions Park, Kingaroy Apex Park car park, Kingaroy’s Carew Park and the Blackbutt to Linville Rail Trail.

Other capital projects include:

Blackbutt Memorial Hall reroof -$200,000

Murgon PCYC bathroom renovations – $650,000

Murgon PCYC squash upgrade viewing platform – $80,000

Murgon Swimming Pool – Expansion joints replacement and repainting pool shell – $140,000

Wondai Swimming Pool – Installation of para mobility pod to allow disability access to pool – $100,000

Kingaroy Swimming Pool – Installation of para mobility pod to allow disability access to pool – $100,000

Wondai 24hr Camping Area – Upgrade grounds, drainage and car parking – $150,000

Cr Kathy Duff welcomed the record level of funding for her portfolio.

“Council is investing in improvements and essential maintenance across the range of Council’s assets,” Cr Duff said.

“The investment Council is making in these public facilities will ensure South Burnett residents continue to have access to first class community facilities across the region.”

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Deputy Mayor Gavin Jones said Council has also committed $12 million towards roads, bridges and drainage alongside its ongoing road maintenance programs.

Budget highlights in the Roads and Drainage portfolio include $2.1 million on the bitumen resealing program to extend the life of roads and streets including:

Bushnells Road, Nanango

Friebergs Road, Warnung

Gatto Road, Booie

Kumbia Road, Brooklands

Macauley Drive, Booie

MacDiarmid Street, Kingaroy

McConnel Way, Mondure

Memerambi -Barkers Creek Road, Wattle Camp

Mondure-Wheatlands Road, Silverleaf

Silverleaf Road, Byee

Stuart Valley Drive, Haly Creek

Transmitter Road, Charlestown

Wellers Road, Wooroolin

Darcie Street, Booie

Council’s sealed road network will receive a boost with $1.9 million allocated to pavement rehabilitation.

The road identified for this year’s rehabilitation project is Tingoora-Chelmsford Road. Stage 1 of this multi-year project is partially funded through the Federal Government’s Roads to Recovery program.

Funding has also been secured for a number of works around schools:

Wooroolin State School – footpath and children’s crossing

Tessmanns Road, Kingaroy – new footpath

Murgon State School – crossing upgrades along Angel and Gore streest, and footpath upgrades along Krebs Street and Dutton Street East

Murgon State High School – parking upgrades along Gore Street from Cooper to Harm streets

Kingaroy State High School – bus interchange upgrade along Markwell Street

Saint Mary’s Catholic College – new footpath along Fitzroy to Albert streets

Other funding in the portfolio includes:

Shoulder Resheeting Program – $500,000 for Denmark Road, Wooroolin; Liesegangs Road, Crawford; Parker Road, Ellesmere; Reedy Creek Road, Benair; and Couchmans Road, Memerambi

Bridge Rehabilitation – $770,000 for timber bridge replacement on Home Creek Loop Road

Footpath renewals – $100,000 for Drayton Street, Nanango

Council is also committing $2 million to vulnerable infrastructure such as road floodways and water crossings to increase resilience during extreme weather.

A total of $1 million has been allocated for a targeted rehabilitation program on the sealed road network to undertake permanent repairs to some of the higher priority defects.

Council’s water and wastewater infrastructure will receive a $2.9 million boost in the Council’s 2023-24 budget with a $7.9 million capital expenditure program.

Key works include:

$279,000 – Gordonbrook Off-Stream Storage detailed design and costings to determine project scope. This project is proposed to ensure water supply availability to Kingaroy for up to six weeks should the Boondooma water pipeline fail or be shut down for a substantial period

$786,000 – Continued replacement of the ageing water main program in Wondai’s Mackenzie Street (Osborne Street-End Street and Osborne Street-Scott Street); and in Kingaroy: Markwell Street (Youngman to Glendon Street), Alford Street (William to Burnett Street), Glendon Street (Alford to Markwell Street) and Jubilee Street (End to Ian Street)