All hands on deck for jetty refurbishment
Date published: 19 April 2021
A much-loved piece of community infrastructure, the Strand jetty, is set to receive a new lease on life.
Townsville City Council will invest around $260,000 undertaking maintenance and ensuring the jetty, which was installed just over 20 years ago, can continue to be a popular destination for locals and tourists well into the future.
The 70-metre-long jetty will be closed to the public during the works, which will include the replacement of around 200 decking boards.
Council’s Infrastructure Committee Chair Kurt Rehbein said it was vital to ensure Townsville’s community assets were kept to a high standard for residents and visitors.
“As part of the budgeted works, Council had an engineering assessment conducted on the jetty last year which identified the need to schedule in some maintenance works to keep the jetty in good working order,” Cr Rehbein said.
“Sea air exposure and corrosion is just an unfortunate reality, which is why we need to constantly maintain these assets.
“These works will include replacing a large number of decking boards as well as conducting some works on concrete posts which attach the handrails.
“We’ve timed the closure to avoid the Anzac Day long weekend, with the jetty scheduled to open again just in time for NAFA.”
The works will be conducted over an eight-week period by local tradies from Dawson’s Engineering in Townsville.
“These maintenance works will support around 6 local jobs, so It’s great to see local tradies out there keeping this much-loved asset in good nick,” Cr Rehbein said.
Community and Cultural Development Committee chairperson and divisional councillor Ann-Maree Greaney said the jetty provided a fantastic recreational space for the community year-round.
“We celebrated the Strand’s 20th birthday in 2019 and looked back on just how much of a role it plays in the community aspect of life here in Townsville, including our wonderful jetty,” Cr Greaney said.
“Whether it be the recreational fishers who use the jetty daily or as a viewpoint of Magnetic Island and our city, this closure will ensure we can continue using the jetty for years to come.
“It’s important we’re able to highlight the best of our city during our winter events season so with NAFA approaching very quickly we want our jetty in good working order as a vantage point for locals and visitors alike.”
The Strand jetty maintenance works are scheduled to take place between Tuesday 27 April and Friday 25 June.
