Community
26 June, 2023
$4.75m park upgrade starts soon
STAGE one of Gordonvale’s Kenrick Park is due to start next month following a $4.75 million commitment in Cairns Regional Council’s 2023-24 budget.
According to the budget papers “council will progress works to transform Kenrick Park into a dynamic community space for use by residents in the southern corridor.”
The papers said the council had committed $4.75m this financial year to deliver stage 1 of the project, which will include the construction of a dog park, playground equipment, intermediate bump track, carpark, toilets, pathways, basketball court, shelters, and picnic areas. Kenrick Park covers 5.7ha in Gordonvale, which has been identified as a key population growth area in the southern part of the Cairns Regional Council area.
The $6m project includes a commitment of $3m in funding from the Queensland Government, which was announced during the sitting of Parliament in Cairns in May. According to the masterplan, the most likely features include the construction of a basketball court for local players to practice, a dog-off-leash area so that owners can walk their dogs more freely, public toilets, shelter space for sunny days, table and seating areas for gatherings, playground equipment, BMX pump track components, a central path, as well as general landscaping of the terrain.
There is also a variety of proposed additions, which are likely to be constructed in years to come. These may include additions such as a community centre for recreational use, an events space to host shows, festivals and events, additional landscaping to improve the parklands even more, passive recreational areas, a second children’s playground, additional BMX pump track components, a skate bowl, a multisport court, exercise loop as well as an off-street parking space.
Construction of the park is expected to commence around July 2023, and is expected to end around December 2024. Certain parts of the park will be closed to the public for essential flora clearing and construction.
After the construction is finished around January 2024, landscaping and planting will continue until December 2024.
