Rock-solid funding yet to be scratched
No start on Quarry Gardens study
THE council is yet to spend a cent of the $250,000 it received from the State Government nearly six months ago to undertake a Quarry Gardens feasibility study.
The tourism project - proposed for the Bridge St Quarry - has languished on various priority infrastructure project lists since 2003, and has the potential to define and transform how the world sees the Garden City.
That all changed on September 22 last year, when in a visit to Toowoomba during Carnival of Flowers, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk committed funds for a business case.
Fast-forward 166 days and Toowoomba Regional Council chair of the economic development committee mayor Paul Antonio said the council expected to award a contract for the feasibility study “within the next two weeks”.
“Request for offer documents were sent to 14 firms registered in the Local Buy Vendor Panel. Six companies submitted bids to complete the work,” he said.
“Each response included consortia of firms who have
‘‘ THE ASSESSMENT OF SUBMISSIONS IS CONTINUING WITH AN EXPECTED AWARD OF CONTRACT WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.
PAUL ANTONIO
combined to bring the range of speciality skills required to meet the needs of the project. These include geo-technical engineering, economics, tourism market research and town planning.”
Cr Antonio said the study would start before the end of March and be completed by the end of June.
“None of the money allocated by the Queensland Government has been spent to date.”