Moore Park Beach Masterplan 'Spaces and Places'

Local builders, Hallstone Constructions, have been awarded the tender for the highly anticipated Moore Park Beach Community Hub.

In a momentous development for the residents of Moore Park Beach, and the wider community, the eagerly awaited tender for the construction of the community buildings first stage of the masterplan has been officially awarded.

The masterplan will provide improved facilities, from a new community hub to a beach activity area, all-abilities adventure park and a community deck.

Bundaberg Regional Council’s exciting vision for the area was revealed in November 2020 following extensive community consultation, and tenders were first released in 2022 with the significant project to build community facilities.

Divisional representative Cr Jason Bartels said it was wonderful to start the new year off on the right foot with the news Moore Park Beach Community Building was now forging ahead.

“The Moore Park Beach community has long awaited a facility that will serve as a hub for various activities and events, fostering a sense of togetherness,” Cr Bartels said.

“This project is not just a building; it's a symbol of unity and progress for our region.

“Local community groups are champing at the bit to hear the news that tender was now successful.

“We believe Hallstone Constructions has the vision and capability to bring this project to life.”

Cr Bartels said the project would generate a central gathering space for the community creating dialogue between the new buildings and the existing community hall.

“Council and the community are really excited about this, we’re creating a vibrant space for community functions and events through the use of a centralised gathering space,” Cr Bartels said.

Bundaberg Regional Council has not only funded initial works but has also secured support from the State Government through the Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program.

Read the full Bundaberg Now story here.

Moore Park Beach residents have made an impassioned plea for contractors to apply to build the first stage of the area’s masterplan after initial tenders were unsuccessful.

Bundaberg Regional Council’s exciting vision for the area was revealed in November 2020 following extensive community consultation.

The vibrant community about 20 minutes from the Bundaberg CBD is well-known for its inviting atmosphere, with pristine beaches and an established natural setting.

The masterplan aims to highlight these attractions while providing improved facilities from a new community hub to a beach activity area, all-abilities adventure park and a community deck.

Bundaberg Regional Council has not only funded initial works but has also secured support from the State Government through the Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program.

Tenders were first released in 2022 with the significant project to build community facilities which include:

• Moore Park Beach Mens Shed, to be used for a variety of trade-based activities.
• Moore Park Beach Community Hub building which will be the base for Moore Park Beach Arts Inc and also available for hire by Moore Park Beach-based community organisations. It will provide a more robust activity space and increase opportunities for these organisations that are not able to function out of the existing timber floored community hall.
• Community storage sheds will be utilised by groups including Moore Park Beach Scouts, Moore Park Beach Men’s Shed and the Moore Park Beach Arts Inc.
• Space will also be created for a second hand shop for the Moore Park Beach Community Association

Mayor Jack Dempsey said Council had been to market twice seeking tenderers to build the project.

“We’ve been unsuccessful on both occasions - which is reflective of the buoyant construction industry at the moment – but also disappointing for our community to see such an important project stall,” Mayor Dempsey said.

“The tenders will be again released this month and we are splitting the civil works and building package components in an effort to create industry interest.

“Through the formal tender process Council is also open to exploring separable options within each tender package.

“Council is doing all it can to progress the Moore Park Beach Masterplan.

“We’d like to build it, but we need contractors to come forward.”

Moore Park Beach Community Association president Shanelle Pekin has been involved in the development of the Moore Park Beach masterplan since its early stages as a member of the Community Reference Group.

“…We spoke with engineers and town planning to develop the community hub idea and ensured each group had a say in what they needed,” Ms Pekin said.

“I also helped facilitate the public meetings for the local people of Moore Park Beach to attend to hear from Mayor Jack Dempsey and Councillor Bartels, so locals could have their say and ask questions regarding the Masterplan.

“This project is so important to the local people of Moore Park Beach as it will give them a sense of pride in the town which we all love, and it will also attract more holidaymakers and improve the facilities we already have.

“The Community Hub building is what all our local groups are keen to get underway, as it will be a space in which our groups can come together, grow and evolve and hopefully attract new members to ensure the clubs can continue in years to come.”

Ms Pekin had a simple message for contractors looking to submit a tender response for the Moore Park Beach masterplan works.

“Please, please, please apply! We can’t get this started without you!”

Divisional representative Cr Jason Bartels said the Moore Park Beach community was looking forward to the masterplan progressing.

“In addition to these fantastic community facilities, work will include surf club landscaping and car parking, an upgrade to the holiday park’s sewerage treatment system and external works including footpaths and driveways,” Cr Bartels said.

“They really just want to see work underway as soon as possible.

“If there are contractors out there interested in the works but are not yet registered with VendorPanel or are unsure of the process, head to Council’s website or get in touch and our staff will be more than happy to help you through that process.”

The building works tender will be available from 23 September through VendorPanel with the civil works tender to be made available through the same platform shortly thereafter.

Find out more details here.

Plans are underway for the Moore Park Beach Skate Park to be upgraded.

Moore Park Beach is set to get a new skate park and the community is invited to have its say on the project this week.

The development forms part of the Moore Park Beach Masterplan which aims to raise the profile of the coastal town as a place to visit for holiday makers or day trips.

Divisional Representative Cr Jason Bartels said upgrading the original skate park as part of the Masterplan would create more recreation opportunities for locals and visitors alike while adding to the vibrancy of the area.

“The current skate park, while much-loved, is nearing the end of its useable life,” he said.

“There was a perfect opportunity to feature plans to replace the skate park as part of the Moore Park Beach Masterplan which, once completed, will continue to add to the vitality of our region.

“The aim of the new skate park will not only be to revitalise the area, but to also meet the diverse recreation needs of the community, promote social inclusion and provide health and wellness benefits.”

Cr Bartels said community consultation sessions about how the skate park could be designed would take place from this Friday onwards.

“Specialist consultants Trinity Skate Parks will be asking current skate park users what they like about the current skate park, what they use it for, and what they would like to see in a new skate park,” he said.

“The team at Trinity are professionals in the skate park design world and have been involved with the current work at the Walla Street skate bowl in Central Park.”

Cr Bartels said for those who could not make it to the consultation sessions, a survey was available to partake in until the end of the school holidays.

“We want to hear from all skate park users and invite those interested in the project to head online to complete the survey or to come along to one of the consultations sessions this week,” he said.

School sessions will be held this Friday at Bundaberg North State High School and Moore Park Beach State Primary School.

Public consultation sessions for the skate park upgrade:

• Friday, 10 September from 3.30pm to 5.30pm at Moore Park Beach Skate Park
• Saturday, 11 September from 9am to 12.30pm at Hinkler Central Shopping Centre (Community Corner outside Woolworths)
• Saturday, 11 September from 3pm to 5pm at Moore Park Beach Skate Park

An online survey will be open until the end of the school holidays – have your say here.

You can read the Bundaberg Now story here.

Bundaberg Region Mayor Jack Dempsey has flagged that Council’s 2021-22 Budget will include support for a new Moore Park Surf Life Saving Club building.

Mayor Dempsey said Council was looking to contribute a significant amount to kickstart implementation of the Moore Park Beach Masterplan.

The Council contribution would deliver community facilities for the clubhouse which would be constructed with an $800,000 contribution from the Surf Life Saving Queensland Infrastructure Fund and $400,000 which was previously committed by the Federal Government.

Mayor Dempsey said Council's proposed funding, to be confirmed in the budget meeting on June 29, would deliver public facilities to complement the new clubhouse.

“Council is looking at how it can support local surf lifesavers and the wider Moore Park Beach community by delivering the landscaping that surrounds the new surf club, which would include a driveway and small carpark as well as footpaths and new gardens,” he said.

“Public toilets would also be featured as part of the design for beach-goers to utilise.

“We are committed to supporting the club with their new venture, which will not only offer a new space for members to conduct their training, meetings and more, it will also become a great asset for the community as a whole.”

President of Moore Park Life Saving Club Leigh Schuch said members were excited to begin work on the new clubhouse.

“The new clubhouse will provide an up-to-date facility for the volunteer members of all ages to use for training, storage of lifesaving equipment, amenities and canteen facility in addition to having adjoining public amenities for the public to use,” Leigh said.

“It is hoped that the new facility will attract new members to the club to help keep the beach-going public safe.”

Leigh said plans for a new clubhouse had been on the cards for some time.

“The current building received significant damage in 2010 and we have been trying to secure funding ever since then,” she said.

Divisional representative Cr Jason Bartels said Council was investigating ways to assist the Surf Life Saving Club to create a facility that aligned with the newly adopted Moore Park Beach Masterplan.

“We want to help create a great community space and something the Moore Park Beach community can be proud of,” he said.

“The new clubhouse is a very exciting project as it is the very first stage of the Moore Park Beach Masterplan and will include a number of works that will benefit members and beach-goers alike.

“This includes a community deck proposed within the masterplan and improved amenities for the mobile food and coffee vendors that currently service the site.”

Leigh said the new clubhouse would be located where the original building was situated when Moore Park Surf Life Saving Club was established in 1954.

“It is hoped to be completed by the end of June 2022 depending on the building situation in Bundaberg,” she said.

Read the full Bundaberg Now story here.

The Moore Park Beach draft master plan was unveiled on Monday night to enthusiastic Moore Park Beach residents.

Through consultation in September residents were given the chance to shape how Moore Park Beach will look into the future.

That future includes a beach activity area, all-abilities adventure park and a community deck for the area.

Bundaberg Regional Council divisional representative Cr Jason Bartels said the draft master plan will raise the profile of Moore Park Beach as a place to visit for holiday makers and day trip visitors.

“This master plan is a direct response to the previous consultation that was undertaken, where we asked community members and residents of Moore Park Beach what they wanted in this space,” Cr Bartels said.

“It was great to see around 100 people attend last night’s master plan meeting and the entire presentation went really well, with the consultants explaining the changes and receiving positive feedback from residents.”

Cr Bartels said the plan reinforces the atmosphere of Moore Park Beach by highlighting its key attractions — the beach, the established natural environment setting, and easy pedestrian access around the area.

“It’s really enhancing what’s currently in Moore Park Beach,” he said.

“It’s such a laid-back community but it feels a little bit tired, so we’ll be adding a bit of new infrastructure and enhancing what’s there to make it more modern and usable.”

Features of the plan include a community hub with space for workshops, breakout spaces and community gardens, a new lifesavers area with new clubhouse, storage, and parking, an all-abilities nature-based adventure playground in Bob Nielsen Park and upgrading youth activities and play space.

Council is also proposing to improve the water quality within the duckpond so that it can be a valued asset for the area.

Mayor Jack Dempsey said the beauty of Moore Park Beach would be highlighted in a natural way.

“It was terrific to see so many members of the community turn up to the draft master plan release as this is a unique location with a unique identity and that identity needs to be retained, but also being enhanced and shared,” Mayor Dempsey said.

“What came across in this survey was that people didn’t want to change it too much; they just wanted it enhanced and improved and that’s what this plan achieves.

“Supporting community organisations and maintaining the natural beauty of the area is fundamental to this plan which supports the area’s future development and growth through new facilities while improving access to existing ones.”

For those who couldn’t attend Monday night’s unveiling, another session is planned for Saturday morning 9am to 11am on the foreshore area beachside of Jammin Coffee. Copies of the draft master plan and feedback forms will be available.

Feedback forms are also available online here.

The paper copies can be dropped off at the Moore Park Beach Service Station and the Pink House by 4.45pm Monday, 23 November.

For updates on the project register to the right on this page.

https://www.bundabergnow.com/2020/11/10/moore-park-beach-draft-master-plan-unveiled/

Residents welcomed the opportunity to be involved in the Moore Park Beach community hub masterplan with a great turnout at this week’s information meeting.

Mayor Jack Dempsey and divisional representative Cr Jason Bartels joined consultants Insite SJC and Council staff to launch the concept and give residents an opportunity to provide feedback and ideas to inform the masterplan.

Mayor Dempsey said it was crucial to get the community’s feedback during the early stages of the Moore Park Beach masterplan.

“It was terrific to see so many members of the community turn up with lots of good ideas of how they want to masterplan their piece of Moore Park Beach into the future,” he said.

“There were certainly great conversations, a lot of details collected, but also reassurance to the community that this is just the start of the journey.

“If they have any other information that they weren't able to give on this particular evening, there's plenty of time to get that in so we can have a properly planned out area.”

“The main priorities identified by residents were in regards to the development of a new community hub, plans for the surf lifesaving club, the caravan park and the duck pond.

“But the sense was also that residents did not want Moore Park Beach to lose its current identity because as we know this is already a wonderful seaside community with lots of character and charm.”

The night was hosted by the Moore Park Beach Community Association and the Moore Park Surf Lifesaving Club was also discussed in detail, with president Leigh Schuch giving the group an update on plans and costs.

Many people took surveys to complete, which is also available online: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MPBmasterplan.

https://www.bundabergnow.com/2020/09/09/moore-park-beach-masterplan-meeting/