Logan City council is “pushing hard” to secure state government funding for the Rail Trail before the October election as project costs inflate yet again.
Meanwhile, formerly frustrated residents upset about the impacts of the Bethania to Logan Village track are now closer to resolution, thanks to a renewed relationship with the council.
The proposed 11.5-kilometre trail, which almost doubled in price to $13 million in July 2023, is now estimated to cost $15.1 million due to a “further 12 months of construction price escalation”.
Council is now hoping to secure a 50:50 funding commitment from the state government before the election next month.
While some councillors expressed their concern about the “obscene” cost of the project, the majority hoped it will be a hotspot for tourists.
If approved, the trail will pass through Palm Lake Resort, a retirement village where residents have long protested the trail due to concerns about privacy and safety.
Now the group of residents, known as the Rail Trail Diversion Group, concede they are much happier with the deal thanks to the work of a new mayor and local councillor.
“We’ve got a councillor for the first time who actually listens to our needs,” Palm Lake resident Maureen Farrell said of first-term councillor Nathan St Ledger.
“Before, we were just told; we weren’t consulted in any way.
“They were never prepared to speak to us… and never listened to our opinions.”
Ms Farrell said she was a “lover of rail trails” and thought it would be great for local tourism.
“We’re part of the greater Logan, and at the end of the day what is best for Logan is what we should be looking at.”
But that doesn’t mean the group is giving up on their demands.
“We did always know that it would most probably happen,” Ms Farrell conceded.
“We fought for no rail trail because we wanted leverage – we never thought we would win that one.
“But we will still be pushing for our needs.”
Council has tailored the design of the track to meet some of the residents’ demands, including the installation of electronic gates, a fence along the track where it intercepts the village, and almost $1 million of CCTV cameras.
Residents are also asking for cameras to be installed within the Palm Lake premises.
Cr St Ledger said the project was “super exciting” for boosting tourism within the city and encouraging different types of transport.
“While I’m pro rail trail, I’m also pro making sure we got the best outcome we could for the residents of Palm Lake and making sure they feel safe in their own homes,” he said.
“You’re never going to get 100 per cent of what each party wants, but we’ve worked really strongly together.”
Another Palm Lake resident and member of the Rail Trail Diversion Group, Tracey Bertomeu, said the majority of residents would prefer the Rail Trail “did not proceed through our section”.
She said the estimated cost of the project was hard to fathom during a cost of living crisis.
“As members of the RTDG we realised that our group couldn’t just continue to keep protesting for a diversion or stoppage as we would be missing opportunities to develop better working relationships and fully express the voice for our community on safety and security concerns with the newly elected Logan City Council,” Ms Bertomeu said.
“Ensuring safety and security for all our residents has always been the number one priority and we have all continually strived to achieve what we believe is deserving for an older generation, with many being anxious and stressed for several years with how a rail trail running through the guts of both villages could be done and now particularly with the current youth crime crisis prevalent in our society and E scooters, E bikes and trail bikes capable of being ridden at dangerously high speeds.
“Thankfully, the current design reflects improvements and has addressed most of these concerns, but I would seek a commitment from Logan City Council to evolve and improve the design if security to our personal safety and properties and safety for resident’s crossing over the rail trail in our everyday lives are being compromised.”
