Ipswich City Council has added 13 more mowing staff to help maintain extra green space created by voluntary home buybacks.
“Council has listened to residents, who have called for the basics such as mowing to be done well,” Councillor Jim Madden says.
The council has also bought a cache of equipment such as mowers, tractors, slashers, whipper snippers, blowers, trimmers and trailers.
“Maintaining our public spaces is one of the most important functions of council,” Cr Madden says.
“But this job has its share of challenges; in recent years, we’ve dealt with more frequent and severe weather events and rising service delivery costs.”
He also points to the size of the task that confronts their now larger workforce.
The council says it manages more than 8500 hectares of parkland and reserves across more than 550 sites, plus pathways, median strips, roundabouts and road islands.
An extra 500,000-plus square metres of new green space was also created by a voluntary home buy-back program.
“New residential areas built as our population booms means there are more places for us to maintain,” Cr Madden says.
“These challenges prompted council to undertake a comprehensive review of open space operations which … identified the need for more staff and equipment as well as operational efficiencies that will help us cover more ground.
“We will continue to look at ways to boost the efforts of our mowing crews in line with community expectations.”
IPSWICH REPLACES PURGA BRIDGE
Council also says work has started on replacing the current single-lane timber Purga School Road bridge and a two-lane concrete crossing.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding says council was able to start the $7.9 million project after the federal government tipped in $5m.
Duplicating a 1.6-kilometre section of Purga School Rd, between Morgans and Ipswich Boonah roads, “will deliver significant benefits” for Purga residents, she says.
“The 36-metre-long timber bridge has served this rural community well but it’s time for an upgrade,” she says.
Councillor Andrew Antoniolli says: “Drivers of Purga for decades willingly pulled aside to allow their fellow road users to pass through but they’ll soon no longer have to do that.”
“This upgrade lays a platform for the Purga community and surrounding areas to continue to thrive as our city grows.”
Cr Pye Augustine said the upgrade will improve life in the area.
“Purga is a suburb among high-value ecology areas such as Purga Nature Reserve and federally recognised areas of regional koala significance that sits on the doorstep of more urban southern Ipswich,” Cr Augustine said.
Cr Jacob Madsen says works should take eight months and finish in late April.
“There will be significant inconvenience to residents in the short term before the benefits of this project come to fruition,” he points out.
“Property access will be maintained for residents but there will be detours in place as Purga School Road is closed for construction.
“The detours will use the adjacent Middle Rd to access Cunningham Highway to the north and Peak Crossing Churchbank Weir Rd to the south.”
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