Kerr and Entsch team up for water precinct in Port Douglas
Feds commit 5 million dollars
It’s been a long time coming and it has been floated before on troubled waters, but the Port Douglas water precinct complete with pool and landscaping, took a step towards becoming a reality today when Federal MP Warren Entsch dropped into town to give the Douglas Shire Council 5 million dollars to get it up and running.
There’s been many suggested locations bandied about like the Sugar Wharf, an area near the Tin Shed and others, but todays press conference took place at Reynolds Park on the road into Port providing a clue as to where it’s likely to go.
It’s really no secret the Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr prefers Reynolds Park, but he must wear two hats in this debate while it is being put out to public consultation.
While the lagoon fantasy, near the Surf Club, put up by his predecessor, was never going to come to fruition because of massive upkeep costs, this more sensible water aquatic park might even be shovel ready by the end of this year or early next year.
It’s expected to create 200 jobs during construction and 30 local jobs when completed. The lack of a safe year-round swimming facility has certainly had negative impacts on the community and tourists who visit our region. Jellyfish like the Irukandji and saltwater crocs have made sure of that.
Council will announce the public consultation process soon.