Budget 2019-20 Division 10 – Clean, green and active

Published 03 June 2019

Moreton Bay Regional Council’s 2019/20 Budget will maintain the Hills District as the green belt between the city and Samford.

Division 10 Councillor Matt Constance said this financial year’s investments would be strategically targeted to improve active transport linkages and rehabilitate natural environments.

“Lifestyle is what matters in Division 10 and it’s our lifestyle that’s attracting an increasing number of young families looking for leafy streets and larger backyards at an affordable price,” he said.

“This financial year we’ll be investing to ensure the next generation enjoys the things we take for granted by improving our parks, pathways, green spaces and bike tracks.

“James Drysdale Reserve will undergo an incredible $1.7 million building program for the new baseball diamond and we’re investing an additional $300,000 to fix the playing surface of our soccer fields as well as install new irrigation.

“Across the 18/19 and 19/20 financial years, we’ll invest close to $2 million across multiple projects at Leslie Patrick Park.

“We’re removing barriers for families and carers of people living with disabilities, by redesigning approximately 5,000 square metres of Leslie Patrick Park into a million-dollar play area.

“No detail has been overlooked in the design of this purpose-built playground with at least 16 different types of equipment in five zones dedicated to different types of play.

“This financial year we’ll also invest $330,000 to construct accessible toilet amenities at Leslie Patrick Park and also $15,000 to renew field lights.

“Anyone who loves walking, cycling or just being outdoors will benefit from the start of works on the Kedron Brook pedestrian bridge, with $400,000 to be spent on designs and planning to link the Hills District to the Samford Cycleway.

“Another $200,000 will be spent on design of the missing link within the existing bikeway network between Dinterra Avenue and the Kedron Brook Bikeway, by building pathways in Harry Evans Park in Arana Hills.

“Our bikeways will take in views of Wahminda Park Pond, with $10,000 to be invested stabilising the pond’s walls and providing for a three-year revegetation program to provide habitat for native wildlife.

“Continuing the green theme, our massive program to rehabilitate Cabbage Tree Creek will enter Stage 4 with $100,000 to prevent erosion and remove invasive weeds and $25,000 to plant native species along the waterway, as well as $305,000 for fauna crossings within the Bunyaville Conservation Park and programs to improve ecological connectivity.

“Local families love living here for the obvious lifestyle benefits and it’s important that Council invests, so that our children choose to live here in the decades to come.”

Cr Constance said improving local roads was another major initiative, with $3.3 million for resurfacing and a number of intersection upgrades to get underway in 2019/20.

Division 10 Budget Highlights Include:

• $3.3 million in road resurfacing across Division 10
• $1.7 million towards the development of a baseball field at James Drysdale Recreation Park
• $400,000 towards cycle and pedestrian bridge construction at Kedron Brook
• $370,000 for internal refurbishment and furniture at Arana Hills Library
• $330,000 for a new amenities building for patrons of Leslie Patrick Park
• $305,000 for a fauna crossing at Jinker Track
• $300,000 to renew a soccer field at James Drysdale Recreation Park
• $279,000 to replace the roof at Arana Hills Library
• $200,000 towards design costs for pathway construction at Harry Evans Park
• $130,000 towards design costs towards road rehabilitation at Patricks Road
• $130,000 towards design costs for intersection and pedestrian upgrades for the Gordon Road and Ferny Way intersection
• $100,000 towards a new community building at James Drysdale Recreation Park
• $100,000 towards design costs towards reconfiguring the South Pine Road and Plucks Road intersection
• $100,000 for the next stage of rehabilitation at Cabbage Tree Creek in Wightman Reserve
• $80,000 for shelving replacement at Arana Hills Library
• $80,000 towards design costs for drainage upgrades at Grevillea Street
• $80,000 towards planning study costs for pathway construction between Plucks Road and Minto Crescent
• $70,000 for footpath renewal along Old Northern Road
• $50,000 for additional gas cells for the landfill gas management system at Bunya Waste Management Facility
• $40,000 of design costs for a fauna crossing at Samford Road