Tuesday 1 November 2011

Cyclone shelter gives hope to local tradies

Simon Finn, State Minister for Building Industry has visited Port Douglas to inspect the site of the cyclone shelter to be built at the Port Douglas State School, and to deliver the final design of the building.

Mr Finn, who was in town with State Member for Cook, Jason O'Brien, said public feedback was taken into account in the final design.

"We did listen to a range of views across the community and then work out how we get the best bang for our buck and still make it a safe facility and we've come up with this.

"The design shows that there is adequate toilets and showers for up to 720 people.

"It's a big open space that can be used for community events as well."

See ground floor plan here
See artists' impression here

Mr Finn reiterated the building will be a cyclone shelter as opposed to an evacuation centre.

"We're not building evacuation centres. The safest place in a natural disaster is in your own home, but then a local disaster management group will make an assessment about whether people should evacuate.

"When they evacuate they go to here (the cyclone shelter) to shelter, and when the storm passes they go back home.

"If they can't go back home a decision is made by a local disaster management group about the best place for them to go.

Mr Finn said that local trades people will have the opportunity to work on the construction of the category five cyclone shelter through a tender process.

"Each one of them will be tendered individually. That gives local builders an opportunity to tender for them, with the aim of constructing as soon as the weather is passed and being built and opened and ready for the 2012 storm season."

He said that the tender process will be open as soon as next month.

"We'll have the advertising for tenders in the coming three to four weeks with the aim of assessing them and decisions ready for the end of the year."

Mr O'Brien there had been some design changes since the initial design was presented at a public meeting at the school a couple of months ago.

"There were some additional toilets that had to be put in to lift the amount of people who can use the shelter in an emergency.

"The aesthetics outside have been improved considerably as well."

Community concerns over access and the ongoing management of the facility, which was to be controlled by the school, have been alleviated according to Mr O'Brien.

"The school is trying to get a template of Memorandum Of Understandings together so they can present those to sporting clubs, private users, and other people so it can be accessed during school holidays, after hours, on weekends.

"The school is determined that it is a community building and that it's used, not just by the school, but it's used at all hours and by all different groups."

Related articles
Cyclone shelter revealed

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steve hull, 04-11-11 14:15:

also being able to ask questions of our elected politicians without being labelled 'whingers' would be a nice change.

i would like to point something out to the local people who choose to be silent on these issues,when i was growing up as a young boy/teenager (app 35/40years ago) in a town SMALLER than port douglas, we had much more infrastructure in place.
this included-indoor sports hall,squash centre,youth club,cinema,free tennis courts,mini golf etc etc.

yes,35/40 YEARS ago,yes in a SMALLER town than port douglas!!

we have reason to be asking questions.

steve hull, 04-11-11 13:19:

k r, 03-11-11 21:51:

i think it should not be built on PORT DOUGLAS STATE SCHOOL the year 4/5 have spent half of the year doing a veggie garden.

Russell Jean, 03-11-11 17:34:

Having been involved in the push for a shelter/multi-purpose building for the Port Douglas/Mossman region especially something the school as one of the stakeholders would be able to utilise durin g the whole year I partially agree with the kids. We have been pushing to have the building built on Cairns Regional Council land in Old Port Road(the old hardware shop/cement batching plant site). This site would allow for the WHOLE of the community to utilise the building not just the school 99.9% of the time(Statement by DET). Also it seems the teacher(if this is the case?) who allowed the kids to go online and make their comments hasnt done their research in relation to Mossman. The hall utilised for Cyclone Yasi was the community/school building which is certainly NOT a cyclone shelter. I am very happy for the region that we were selected for the shelter but it is not enough - the shelter needs to be at least equal to or bigger than the recently completed Cooktown shelter/Events Centre to allow this region to have access to infrastructure that is already in place in all the other centres that have been proposed to get cyclone shelters.We need indoor sports centre, performance centre, convention centre, arts centre, public gym, meeting rooms, etc etc for the locals to utilise but also to allow for things like sports tourism, visiting performance artists, a place to be utilised by the catering companies in town to do weddings, conventions etc. We need infrastructure like this to attract people to our region to fill the many job vacancies that exist and to keep locals already here!! We have a wet season here which keeps everybody indoors for months a centre like the Cooktown one would allow for so many things during the wet. Our politicians would have us just except what they are doing and be grateful for what we are getting as it could have gone somewhere else?? So we cant press for something which is greatly needed? We cant ask questions? Who do these people think they are? Last time I checked they were elected representatives of the people, people just like you and me and it appears they think they are something else??Lastly it would have been nice to see the kids and others making noise at the start of the campaign rather than when it appears it doesnt matter what we say or try to do we just get told "Like it or Lump it!!!!"

biancaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (; isalegendievers., 03-11-11 11:47:

Agree with everyone else, No need for a cycone shelter when we have a communtiy hall and a shelter in Mossman.

mark balo, 03-11-11 11:40:

this building should be build because it will be safer for the kids even my son taylor said that

darren dempsey, 03-11-11 11:36:

i dont know why every one is arguing over this its the goverment choice our school is goverment property the goverment are the ones who educate us every day its all up to them without them we wouldent be smart no one would be a arcatect lawyer etc its all up to them

Grant Swine, 03-11-11 11:32:

I strongly disagree. Kids need to play and have fun, this will discuss me if you people build a shelter on a school there is plenty of other places.

Caleb Kruijer, 03-11-11 11:27:

I don't think a cyclone shelter should be built at Port.Douglas.State.School because the school is already limited enough as of the2 new buildings that have been built recently, building another building (the cyclone proof shelter) would make the school even smaller for us to play in, plus their is already one in Mossman and their is over 720 people in Port Douglas. P.S DONT BUILD A GOD DAMN CYCLONE SHELTER.

Emma Masters, 03-11-11 11:26:

Port Douglas State School doesn't need more space taken up by buildings. It will waste heeps of money on the building when the community Hall could be used instead. Port Douglas State School has already had two buildings built in the school and space has been taken away from us to play in. We don't need a cyclone shelter in Port Douglas when tere is one in Mossman. Cyclonoe shelters don't have a place in OUR school :(

john wersdenator, 03-11-11 11:22:

you cant build it in the basket ball court where will the little girls play netball??

brayden wall, 03-11-11 11:19:

this is not fair my lil darlings will be so dissapointed you cant do this to them they will have no room to play i am going to cry now

brayden iscool, 03-11-11 11:15:

there is more than 720 people in port

The Newsport Editor , 03-11-11 11:15:

It's my understanding that the shelter is being built where the existing basketball court is. The photo of Mr O'Brien, Ms Brant, and Mr Finn is on that site and it was indicated to me that is where the cyclone shelter will be built.

Editor

harrison weyand, 03-11-11 11:11:

we should not have this built at our school it will disurb us while we are worki9ng during class time.

dazza demp, 03-11-11 11:08:

if u look back to katie gibson state ment about that we have no room at our school shes wrong she and the other students are just being selfish we do have enough room and were your planning to build the shelter no one is ever over there playing in that area and sena fujiwara and katie gibson there both leaving at the end of the year to go to high school.

Evie Shaw, 03-11-11 11:08:

I think that we shouldn't have a cyclone Shelter because we already have one in Mossman and it would just be a waste of time and money, and kids in Port Douglas State School don't need more buildings they need more room to play, they have just finished a Multipurpose hall and a Resource Centre.

Pat migroind, 03-11-11 11:02:

The cyclone shelter should not be built at Port Douglas Stata School because everyday my son comes home and says he has had a wonderful day at school playin all sorts of games on the oval.Also where would the children play if the cyclone shelter is built at the school because there play area is already limited.My little boys heart would be shattered if he went to school and was not allowed to play on the oval.:( P.S shame on you.

Darren Dempsey, 03-11-11 10:57:

I do believe that they should build a site at the school because we have a mossman shelter but the population in mossman and port is to big so we cant fit every one in only 1 shelter and besides kids at the school still have lots of room to play on if we build the shelter there.

Shannon Lincoln, 03-11-11 10:56:

It is a good ideal because it is to far to travel to Mossman because if you in a hurry because if the Cyclone comes here quicker then you think it will be to far for Mossman and it will be quckier to come our school.

harry weyand, 03-11-11 10:52:

i think tha if yu hav 1 in pot it is qwik to geet too

Michelle Batemberski, 03-11-11 10:51:

This shelter should not be built at port douglas state school, earlier this year other buildings were getting built so the oval had to be blocked off. We just got our oval back and if this shelter is built it will take up the hole oval when it is built and it will even take up extra space while they are building it which will take many years. There are many other places in Port Douglas where thiis could be built, It doesn't have to be built at our school!

Lani Davies, 03-11-11 10:50:

I don't think a cyclone shelter should be built at our school because we have a lovely ovals that 3 quaters of the school will play on everyday. This wouldn't be a good idea because it would take atleast a year and a half and then kids will be disapointed because we won't have any fields to play on. There is a community hall in the town of Port Douglas which is right behing Macrossan Street, I think that should be our local Cyclone proof shelter. :)

jye west, 03-11-11 10:44:

i think its just a joke we dont have any room all ready

Biancaa Ievers, 03-11-11 10:41:

i attend port douglas state school and i don't think it is a good idea. The school is not very big and this building would just be making it smaller. i think it will be a massive waste of money because as katie said we already have one in mossman.

Morgaine Crew, 03-11-11 10:40:

I believe that this cyclone shelter cant be at OUR school, Because we have already got a new resource centre and that has already taken up half the oval. So if we get this 'cyclone shelter' we will have our whole oval taken up. Also, we all love our oval because we love playing footy, rugby, flags, ect. Thats why I think we shouldn't have a 'Cyclone Shelter' at our school

phil mcracken, 03-11-11 10:38:

blahblah

Sena Fujiwara, 02-11-11 13:48:

this should not be built at the school, we have a lovely place to play around and we dont have to have this shelter at OUR school. we all love playing footy and flags around on the oval and by this shelter coming to place, i believe it is a waste of money and time because we dont want it to be in our precious land. think of the ones who dont want it at the school. we will be un previlliged because we wont have the out door facilities that other local schools have :(

Katie Gibson, 02-11-11 13:47:

I dont think we should have a cyclone shelter at Port Douglas State Schoool because we have already got one in Mossman and we could just build one in another place and we dont have enough room at the school, because it will be using to much room up for the kids at the school because we just got a new set of buildings.

philip dalziel, 01-11-11 14:53:

didnt know homer simpson was an architect and I thought there were more than 750 people in Port ,are the rest going to be issued with a shovel and earplugs ,hope Im one of the lucky ones cause I cant bend down that far anymore to kiss my arse goodbye