At this month’s Logan City Council Meeting Cr Lisa Bradley spoke out about a ‘council officers decision’ which has left local residents unhappy with the newly finished Underwood Park redevelopment.
In the lead up to the 2017 state election, the Queensland Government announced $9.11 million in funding towards the development of Underwood Park. Together with Council’s contribution of $1.19 million, the total project budget was $10.3 million.
Phase 1 and phase 2 of the Underwood Park Multi-Sport Development was supposed to include:
- new netball clubhouse, change rooms and hard courts
- new BMX clubhouse and amenities
- new kiosk and public amenities
- new football clubhouse, change rooms and upgraded field lights
- new mountain biking storage space
- new community centre with kitchen facilities
- new kitchen and office facilities for the Meals on Wheels Inc.
Cr Bradley said despite it being a part of the Underwood redevelopment plan, there were no new cooking facilities.
“A couple of months ago we opened the new community facility up at Underwood Park and it was a bit of a shock to me to actually see a bench, an urn and a sink. And that was it,” she said.
“At Nerida Community Centre there were kitchen facilities.
November Council Meeting.
“There were also kitchen facilities within the community hall at Underwood Park which was demolished as part of the redevelopment.
“So what we’ve ended up with is a community hall at Underwood Park without any cooking facilities.”
Cr Bradley said the community have expressed their displeasure to her.
“They go to events, for example the gardening club, they have events at least once a month and they will actually cook their lunch and they can have up to 100 people there for lunch,” she said.
“They can’t do that now.
“They don’t have any cooking facilities.
“And I did recently bump into one of the members who was quite disheartened that Council does not wish the community to hire this space. That was the feeling they got because there are no cooking facilities.”
Cr Bradley said the plans to include kitchen facilities at the community centre, as a part of the Underwood Park redevelopment, were found in a confidential council report from November 2017.
“I do believe during administration it’s been expressed that the plans got changed,” she said.
“That part was quite disheartening because the community were not taken on the journey. They were not consulted.
“I understand plans change because of whatever needs but the community have actually missed out greatly.
“I do not believe that the councillor divisional funding should be used for facilities that were omitted by council officers.
“A council officer stated that he was responsible for representing council during that administration time.”
