The following are briefs from the latest meeting of Douglas Shire Council on January 20:

Daintree forum progress report:

Council has outlined a number of initiatives undertaken which were identified by residents north of the Daintree River at the inaugural Daintree Forum last August.

Almost 50 residents attended the Daintree Forum and Council actions as a result of the identified issues include:

• Starting work on Stage 1 of the Daintree Gateway project, which includes new gardens, signage and amenities block; 
• Writing to Premier Campbell Newman advocating for appropriate power supply north of the Daintree River; 
• Implementing a number of small business tools and support lines on Council’s website;
• Introducing the Douglas Card and promotional brochure to encourage free travel on the Daintree ferry from November to February for residents of neighbouring Councils;
• Renovation of the bus stop and notice board;
• Extensive weed control and eradication;
• Ongoing feral pig and dog control; and
• Preliminary investigation in relation to the CREB Track and China Camp areas being upgraded and promoted as walking tracks.

Two further Daintree Forums will be held in the current Council term.

Council on track with capital works:

The December quarter progress report for capital works shows Council is well on track to delivering on a program worth in excess of $8 million this financial year.

Major completed items include almost $1 million worth of road reseals and rehabilitation and the new Woobadda Creek bridge.

Projects to be completed before the end of the financial year include the landscaping of the Mossman streetscape, several major flood mitigation projects, the implementation of gas chlorine disinfection and replacement works on Diggers Bridge.

The full progress report is available on Council’s website under the agenda item put forward at the 20 January Ordinary Council Meeting.

Council approves Central Hotel development:

Council has approved a planning application on behalf of the Central Hotel to convert four motel rooms into a gaming area and storage facility.

The conversion will allow for an expansion of the dining area and further separate the gaming activities from other hotel patrons and improve the layout of the venue.

Operational Plan objectives on target:

Council remains on target to achieve the objectives outlined in its 2014/15 Operational Plan.

Completed objectives include a surveillance program of illegal dumping and littering, the development of leachate management and treatment strategies for Killaloe Landfill and the completion of an asset register.

The full progress report is available on Council’s website under the agenda item put forward at the 20 January Ordinary Council Meeting.

Water and Wastewater quarterly report:

The completion of the upgraded Syndicate Rd water main, installation of a stainless steel lining in the water race at Rex Creek intake and the completion of the sewer relining and manhole projects are among the highlights to the Water and Wastwater quarterly report.

Council officers conducted 119 settlement meter reads, 36 water billing re-reads, 15 new water services connections, 117 service repairs, five water mains repairs and responded to 25 callouts and breaks during the December quarter.

The full progress report is available on Council’s website under the agenda item put forward at the 20 January Ordinary Council Meeting.

Quarterly financial report:

Council spent $8.1 million on materials and services in the six months to December 2014.

Capital expenditure for the same period was $3.8 million, representing 43 per cent of the overall budget.

The full quarterly financial report is available on Council’s website under the agenda item put forward at the 20 January Ordinary Council Meeting.