I wish to congratulate TasWater on the recent completion of upgrades to the Conglomerate Dam, which will secure Queenstown’s water supply for the next 100 years.

TasWater officially announced the completion late last month with Deputy Mayor Shane Pitt able to attend in my absence. It is pleasing to see that TasWater engaged Tasmanian contractors on the project, with some local subcontractors also involved. This upgrade involved the transportation of 22,000 tonnes or rock and 4500 tonnes of sand to the site, which is no mean feat. Well done to all involved.

Council will be releasing its Draft Annual Plan and Budget on Thursday next week for public feedback. There will also be a presentation of the draft on Friday at Council on Friday 15 June from 5.30pm at Council. For more information and to provide feedback please visit www.westcoast.tas.gov.au

Last week I announced that Council will be taking control of the proposed Queenstown Mountain Bike (MTB) Gravity Trail from the Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS). Council will receive a Deed of Grant for $500,000 towards the completion of the project from PWS. While the Queenstown MTB Project was initially conceived by the State Government, Council was approached to take control of and eventually construct the trail. Council’s control of the project means we can explore opportunities for private sector involvement, as part of the work up of the project. Local businesses, the general public and other stakeholders can now be fully engaged at this early stage of development, which will ensure that all opportunities for construction, operation, branding, cooperative marketing, and even leveraging the final asset as part of a broader MTB experience on the West Coast can be explored.

Phil Vickers

MAYOR