The successful opening of the Citylibraries Riverway project is the latest example of Council’s ongoing delivery of multiple key projects for the people Townsville.
Despite the headwinds of unprecedented rising costs and limited contractor availability, Council continues to deliver quality outcomes for community.
The re-opening of Citylibraries Riverway and the Pinnacles Gallery is one of a series of completed and soon-to-be completed Major Council projects.
Other projects include the Wulguru Pump Station, East End Boardwalk, North Shore Pool redevelopment and the Douglas Water Treatment Plant Water Clarifiers.
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said Council always puts the quality of a project first and will never short-change the people of this city with a rushed finish of a job that needs to serve residents for decades to come.
“Rising costs have been a defining feature of the past year and that’s having an enormous impact on the costs of running services and completing projects for our city,” Cr Hill said.
“Council is a major user of high-cost items – things like fuel, steel, fertiliser, PVC pipes, cement and general building materials – and inflation rates in those areas are at record highs, which has a compounding effect on budgets and timelines.
“In order to achieve the level of quality we are committed to and to ensure we maximise the life of these assets, it means we have to accept they may take a little longer and cost more in the current environment and it is not unique to council.
“The community have seen the same impacts on the GBRMPA Aquarium rebuild and the port channel widening project and at a more grassroots level we know anyone building a house in the past two years has experienced it too.
“These capital works are designed to serve the community for decades and meet the demands of our city as we grow, so it we won’t compromise on quality.”
Council’s solid financial management recently resulted in yet another positive credit rating from the Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC) ensuring the city’s position as a good investment choice for government.
The report identified council’s credit rating as ‘sound’, reflecting the continued delivery of balanced operating results and continuing a strong track record of prudent and responsible financial management.
