New Rex Smeal playground construction underway, but will it be ready by June as promised by DSC?

REX SMEAL PLAYGROUND

Michael Warren

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The new Rex Smeal playground continues to take shape. Picture: Michael Warren
Douglas Shire Council says construction on the new playground will be finished by June. Picture: Supplied

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Construction on a new $500,000 playground slated for Rex Smeal Park in Port Douglas is underway and will most likely “be completed by June this year” if a statement from Douglas Shire Council to Newsport on February 14 this year remains accurate.

Last November’s announcement of Port’s new playground came on the back of heavy lobbying by Newsport on behalf of Douglas Shire residents.

In a poll run by Newsport  on November 8, 2023 our readers determined the need to address the region's lack of recreational facilities, like playgrounds and splash parks as the number one priority they wanted Douglas Shire Council to immediately look into.

When Newsport visited just days ago the new playground was continuing to take shape.

The new playground comes after Council decided last November not to pursue grant funding for an alternative new green ant playground.

That’s because Council said that specific project wouldn’t be completed until late this year and was dependent on securing grant funds through the Growing Regions Program grant.

“That wasn’t an acceptable timeline for myself and the other Councillors given the community need for a new playground,” former Mayor Michael Kerr told Newsport on February 14 this year.

As Newsport revealed late last year Mowbray playground supplier (AAA Playscapes) will deliver the project.

An artist’s impression of the playground revealed it’s likely to consist of, among other things, a rope mattress, a plastic wall climber, a rubber wall climber and a climbing wall.

 

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