Celebrate Australia Day 2012 at all Ipswich Swim Centres

IPSWICH Australia Day Celebrations will be extended from Bundamba Swim Centre to all Council owned pools as part of the extended flood recovery.

Mayor Paul Pisasale said it was decided just last week to extend Australia Day celebrations throughout Ipswich as part of the recovery from last year's devastating floods.

"Free family fun days will be held at all Swim Centres although the smaller pools at Leichhardt, Goodna and Rosewood will have entry numbers controlled to a maximum of around 250 for safety reasons.

"We commemorated a year of recovery from the flood last week with the unveiling of two monuments and this is just something we felt we could do for the community on Australia Day."

Parks, Sport and recreation Committee Chairperson, Councillor David Morrison said Australia Day celebrations had been held at Council Swim Centres since 1997.

"These celebrations have normally taken the form of a community pool party at Bundamba Swim Centre where up to 1600 people have enjoyed the free community activities.

"It is great to this year be able to extend this to the other Council owned swim centres.

"The basic objective has always been to showcase the Ipswich City Council's swim centres and an active community in the city.

"It displays to the community that Council is interested in providing and operating well-maintained centres that encourage leisure patronage as well as competitive use."

Cr Morrison said the Australia Day celebration in 2011 was supported by Ipswich City Rotary Club and a number of sponsor companies donating goods on the day which were used as give-aways.

"Although the major celebrations will remain at Bundamba where around 1600 people turn out each year, the lessees at Goodna and Rosewood and Leichhardt have agreed to include their centres in Australia Day celebrations as well.

"The smaller pools have offered the community free entry on Australia Day in the past with huge success, but I hope more people join in the true blue celebration of the event this year with prizes on offer nearly all day as part of the flood recovery effort."

Cr Morrison said the pool lessees were offering some tremendous prizes on the day.

"We have some wonderful swim centres across Ipswich and these are absolutely wonderful incentives and reason enough for anyone to turn up at the pool on Australia Day, January 26."

Celebrate Australia Day 2012 at all Ipswich Swim Centres

Ipswich CBD Set to Change - Ipswich Events QLD

IT LOOKS like a bomb site now but the stripped look of Ipswich City Square is a sure sign its monumental redevelopment is under way.

The demolition of the building on the corner of Brisbane and Bell Sts heralds the awesome $1 billion rebirth of Ipswich's heart.

It also means Ipswich residents should get used to the sight of cranes and massive machinery, with work scheduled for years.

Add the new Coles superstore just down the road and the extent of Ipswich's CBD makeover is even more noticeable.

But the Ipswich City Square redevelopment - dubbed Icon Ipswich - has been called the biggest renewal in Ipswich's history.

"The first development will be completed in 2013 with other individual developments being planned and developed progressively," Ipswich City Properties chairman Paul Tully said. "The entire project could take up to 20 years to be completely developed but it should be substantially completed in the next 10 years or so."

The first stage of developer Leighton Properties' $1 billion Icon Ipswich project is a nine-storey office tower.

But first the old Ipswich City Square has to be demolished.

Leighton Properties development manager Bradley Norris said demolition was progressing well and should be finished by early next month.

Mr Norris said gantries and site hoarding including project signage would be erected late this month and bulk excavation would start late next month.

Paul Tully said that meant the development was "on-track as planned".

"There has been little traffic or pedestrian disruption in the heart of the city and I remain confident this new project will be the start of the biggest renewal in the city since Ipswich became a municipality in 1860," he said.

The multi-stage reconstruction will span four CBD blocks, incorporating 170,000 square metres of commercial, retail, residential and public space.

The tower, which contains 18,000 sq m of office space and 200 car parks, was sold to property fund manager Cromwell for $93 million.

At its public launch, Leighton Properties managing director Mark Gray said Cromwell's purchase showed the confidence in the Icon project.

"Once completed, the Icon Ipswich master plan will restore the CBD as the pre-eminent commercial, civic and cultural centre for Ipswich and the western heartland," Mr Gray said.

Just before Christmas Cromwell launched a property trust to finance the construction of the new city heart centrepiece.

Ipswich CBD Set to Change - Ipswich Events QLD

Council reaches 6000th green waste bin and counting

IPSWICH City Council wants to encourage even more local residents to go green this year as part of their new year's resolutions and sign up for one of the city's green waste wheelie bins.

City Works Committee Chairperson Councillor Trevor Nardi said more than 6000 bins had been delivered throughout the city now over the past three months.

"Council is pleased by the number of residents who wanted to receive the green waste bins," Cr Nardi said.

"It is great that these environmentally-aware householders are taking a green approach to the grass clippings, garden prunings and other garden trimmingsfrom their properties.

"However, we would like to see even more residents taking up this service and helping council with its goal of further reducing the amount of waste we send as a city to landfill.

"It is estimated that the kerbside green waste collection service has the potential to divert about 15 per cent of domestic waste from landfill.

"Every resident who uses one of these bins is helping us to achieve our goal in this area."

Cr Nardi said garden waste collected in the new 240-litre green waste bins was transferred to a local composting facility and converted into soil.

"At the facility, a series of composting processes convert the waste material into garden soil that is then returned to the natural environment in Ipswich parks and public gardens."

Cr Nardi said the green waste bins were collected fortnightly, for a service fee of $12.50 per quarter, which worked out to be less than $1 a week.

"Ipswich green waste bins are purpose-built for storing organic matter as they include vents to maintain air flow and reduce any potential odour."

Cr Nardi said it was important that residents ensured that the new bins were only used for green waste.

"These bins need to be free of any plastic bags, metals, glass and all other types of waste material.

"While the green waste is converted to garden soil, any other waste material such as plastic bags will remain unchanged and will contaminate the final product."