I would love to tell everyone who has contacted me that I can get their gravel road sealed with bitumen or widened, however that would be a lie. As a Councillor, I have no ability to direct Council to conduct any specific capital works. Council officers, through a detailed analysis of the road condition, traffic numbers and available funding, have formulated a 10 year Capital Works program that sets the priority of which roads, footpaths, bridges etc will be upgraded over that time. We have limited capital works funding, and this program gives the Council and community a clear indication of what works are being planned.

At present, Council has a focus on replacing our aging wooden bridges as the Federal Govt have a 50:50 grant which greatly reduces the funding required by ratepayers, as most bridges cost in excess of $2 million. We have been successful over the last few years for Federal Govt funding assistance in replacing two bridges on Veresdale Scrub School Road as well as the upgrade of Veresdale Scrub Road.

Council is doing its best; also, given the constant wet weather, to ensure that the roads are maintained and/or upgraded within the financial constraints placed on us by a small rate base population.

CANUNGRA DEVELOPMENT
I have had several residents express their concerns in regard to the erosion on the steep slope at the Grandview Estate development that is occurring just outside of Canungra heading towards Tamborine. This area was part of the Scenic Rise development application that was refused by Council but later approved by the State Planning and Environment Court many years ago. As with most developments, it is conditioned to ensure landscaping and erosion control measures are undertaken.

At present, the development is in the bulk earthworks phase and is using mulch to treat the steep areas. Mulch is considered sufficient for a temporary measure before a longer-term stabilisation/planting is provided post development. The final designs will be considered as the development progresses.

AGRI-BUSINESS, AGRI-TOURISM STRATEGY
At our recent Ordinary meeting the Council adopted the Scenic Rim Agribusiness and Agritourism 10-Year Roadmap 2022-2032 and Scenic Rim Agribusiness and Agritourism Three-Year Action Plan 2022-2025.

Council was successful in securing $100,000 under the Queensland Bushfire Category C Flexible Funding program to deliver Phase One of this program, which aimed to restore and grow agri-food and agritourism sectors through:
- Building capacity and capability to innovate, diversify and value-add;
- Work collaboratively to overcome intractable problems; and
- Creating a platform to enable industry to work alongside Government.

The Roadmap outlines 11 objectives that align with the agribusiness, agritourism and capacity building pillars, and sets out success factors that are critical for industry development.

More information can be found on Council’s website.

LET’S TALK SCENIC RIM
Don’t only use Facebook to express your concerns, be part of a growing online Scenic Rim community that assists the Council with consultation on matters of public interest or where public input is required. This consultation can be undertaken through a range of methods including public forums, information sharing sessions, online surveys, advertisements, and written feedback.

Council has a new digital engagement platform, Let's Talk Scenic Rim. It is an accessible and inclusive online engagement tool that will help the community connect with Council and engage in two-way conversations across a range of projects.

Register on the Let's Talk Scenic Rim site to be the first to hear about consultation on upcoming projects.

Quote of the Day – Something special awaits you each day. All you need is to recognise it and make the most of it. Have a positive attitude throughout the day and then that today is going to be the best day of your life. ~ Unknown