Botched job being fixed
A BUSY shopping strip is in the process of being upgraded after a botched first attempt by the Townsville City Council.
Council staff began work on replacing the bitumen walkway on Mooney St in Gulliver in June.
But what was left was an uneven footpath with a rough, untidy surface.
Deputy Mayor Les Walker said the makeover would make the area more attractive to support local businesses.
“It’s no secret that council’s first attempt at fixing the footpath here on Mooney St wasn’t up to standard but we have come back to redo the job right – and local businesses love it,” Cr Walker said.
“Council just handed down its record infrastructure spend in this year’s Budget and we are building projects right through the suburbs.
“This is just another example of a council project that is improving our suburbs creating jobs for locals.”
The project includes contractors as well as the council’s construction, maintenance and operations team, who are expected to complete the job by the end of October to early November.
Local representative Cr Maurie Soars said the works had been received positively by local businesses and residents.
“The quality of the work that is happening here is first class and there’s a lot of excitement about how it is going to and enhance the streetscape,” Cr Soars said. “It’s going to improve safety for pedestrians and also completely transform the look of the street.”
Speaking to the Bulletin in June, Gallon’s Automotive owner and mechanic Geoff Gallon said the initial work done was a complete waste of money.
“It should have been done once and done right,” he said.
“They just gobbled up bitumen and put bitumen back down. I couldn’t believe they were even doing the footpath without doing the gutters first.
“The driveway to get into my workshop is so bad that I’ve poured concrete over it myself to get into the driveway.”
A council spokesman at the time acknowledged the work done on the footpath replacement at Mooney St wasn’t up to scratch.
“Council crews will be sent out on Wednesday to replace the footpath and ensure it is done correctly,” he said.
“We would like to apologise to any of the nearby businesses that the initial works were not up to standard.”