The end of the 2018-2019 financial year saw the completion of 11 major projects which were all funded by the Works for Queensland (W4Q) program.

A total of $2.84M was allocated to Council with all projects requiring completion by 30 June 2019.

Mayor Liz Schmidt said she was very happy all projects were completed within the deadline. “The Works for Queensland program is a great initiative and we have utilised this funding to upgrade water infrastructure and various roads and bridges.

“One of the bigger projects was the IT communications network expansion with community WiFi hotspots,” said the Mayor.

The $250,000 network expansion installed fibre optic cable to the Excelsior Library and installed WiFi antennas at major public locations.

Visitors and the community will benefit from the free WiFi hotspots which will be available in the coming months.

“We’ve also been able to install a second boardwalk on Towers Hill which provides an all abilities ramp access to link the two World War II bunkers and to provide a lookout on the southern end of Towers Hill.

“This project also included the recently released AR experience ‘Towers Hill in WWII’ which allows users to experience a mixture of real-world and computer-generated images in real-time.”

Other projects included:

Major infrastructure works at the Dalrymple Saleyards Charters Towers’ first dedicated off-leash dog enclosure at Lissner Park Widening of pedestrian walking paths at Centenary Park Smart meters that allow electronic meter readings and can assist with the early detection of leaks, reducing undetected water loss.

The Works for Queensland program is an initiative of the Palaszczuk Government.

Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe congratulated the Charters Towers Regional Council for delivering the job-creating infrastructure projects through the Government’s Works for Queensland program

“These projects are great examples of our two levels of government working in partnership for the benefit of this community,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“Through Works for Queensland, Charters Towers has been allocated $8.55 million to fund 44 projects and that means more jobs and better job security for residents.

“Across Queensland, Palaszczuk Government initiatives, including the Works for Queensland program, have created more than 216,000 jobs.

“It’s terrific that Charters Towers has been a part of that.”

OGG 2 Sept 2019