Simon Finn, State Minister for Building Industry has visited Port Douglas to inspect the site of the cyclone shelter to be built at the Port Douglas State School, and to deliver the final design of the building.

Mr Finn, who was in town with State Member for Cook, Jason O'Brien, said public feedback was taken into account in the final design.

"We did listen to a range of views across the community and then work out how we get the best bang for our buck and still make it a safe facility and we've come up with this.

"The design shows that there is adequate toilets and showers for up to 720 people.

"It's a big open space that can be used for community events as well."

See ground floor plan here
See artists' impression here   

Mr Finn reiterated the building will be a cyclone shelter as opposed to an evacuation centre.

"We're not building evacuation centres. The safest place in a natural disaster is in your own home, but then a local disaster management group will make an assessment about whether people should evacuate.

"When they evacuate they go to here (the cyclone shelter) to shelter, and when the storm passes they go back home.

"If they can't go back home a decision is made by a local disaster management group about the best place for them to go.

Mr Finn said that local trades people will have the opportunity to work on the construction of the category five cyclone shelter through a tender process.

"Each one of them will be tendered individually. That gives local builders an opportunity to tender for them, with the aim of constructing as soon as the weather is passed and being built and opened and ready for the 2012 storm season."

He said that the tender process will be open as soon as next month.

"We'll have the advertising for tenders in the coming three to four weeks with the aim of assessing them and decisions ready for the end of the year."

Mr O'Brien there had been some design changes since the initial design was presented at a public meeting at the school a couple of months ago.

"There were some additional toilets that had to be put in to lift the amount of people who can use the shelter in an emergency.

"The aesthetics outside have been improved considerably as well."

Community concerns over access and the ongoing management of the facility, which was to be controlled by the school, have been alleviated according to Mr O'Brien.

"The school is trying to get a template of Memorandum Of Understandings together so they can present those to sporting clubs, private users, and other people so it can be accessed during school holidays, after hours, on weekends.

"The school is determined that it is a community building and that it's used, not just by the school, but it's used at all hours and by all different groups."

Related articles
Cyclone shelter revealed 

Read more of today's news. Check out The Newsport home page.