No Images? Click here Cairns Regional Council e-news - Volume 32, 14 December 2017Merry Christmas from CRCCairns Regional Council wishes you a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. It's been a wonderful start to the festive season, with the switching on of the Esplanade Christmas Tree Lights and a massive turnout for last weekend's Carols by Candlelight. A big congrats to the winner of our Christmas eCard competition, 8-year-old Brea Wright, whose excellent design is featured above. We hope the Christmas season brings much joy to you and your family and we look forward an exciting 2018. Council holiday closure informationCairns Regional Council offices will be closed from 5pm on Friday 22 December, with normal business resuming on Tuesday 2 January, 2018. The Customer Service call centre will be closed on public holidays but will operate with reduced staff from Wednesday 27 December to Friday 29 December 2017 between 8am and 3pm. After Hours / Emergencies: 1300 69 22 47 - call centre available on public holidays and after hours 24/7. Kerbside waste collections will be as per normal schedule and waste transfer stations will be open every day except Christmas Day. The Buy Back Shop at Portsmith Transfer Station will be open 21-24 December, 28-31 December and 4-7 January. Cairns Libraries branches will operate as normal on Friday 22 December before closing for the holiday period. All branches will re-open on 2 January. See Council's website for a full listing of operating hours for venues and services during the Christmas - New Year break. Family pantomimeWhen Santa's Naughty or Nice list goes missing it's up to a sassy girl, a beat boxing mouse and an Elf-B-I agent to help save Christmas. Share in some festive family fun at Munro Martin Parklands this Saturday evening with ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Tickets are now on sale. BYO blankets or chairs; bring a picnic or purchase refreshments at the venue. Dance the 'Nard away this New Year's EveThis New Years Eve, the Cairns Esplanade will transform into a massive all-ages dance party. With a blend of Trap and dance music, one of Cairns' best up-and-coming DJs will be bringing club vibes to this free-entry, family-friendly, drug and alcohol-free event. The party kicks off after the 9pm fireworks and continues through to the main fireworks display at midnight, thanks our major sponsor CQ University. No ticket required, just turn up with your best dance moves to celebrate the end of 2017 and Dance the 'Nard Away! Join the Facebook event for more info and updates. What a huge year!More than 25,000 trees were planted on public land, 3700 solar panels installed on Council buildings, 14 new playgrounds established, and 200 roads resealed during a busy year for Cairns Regional Council. Major events in 2017 included a concert by Sir Elton John, which attracted an audience of 25,000 people. More than 16,000 people attended events at Munro Martin Parklands and around 90,000 people enjoyed the 2017 Cairns Festival. Projects completed include a $1 million upgrade of Babinda Boulders, the Walker Road sports precinct, Stage 2 of the Shields Street Heart, and the new Nature Playground at Centenary Lakes (pictured left). Mayor Bob Manning said he was looking forward to a massive 2018, which would feature the opening of the Cairns Performing Arts Centre and upgrade of Florence Street. Read more Local spending boosts economyCairns Regional Council injected $311 million directly into the Cairns economy last financial year through materials, services and employment. Council spent 88 per cent of its total $353 million expenditure on locally purchased goods and services, including materials and local contractors for the extensive capital works program. The economic flow-on is estimated to be a further $378 million, bringing the total economic benefit from Council’s spending to $689 million for the year. Council spending accounts for 3.8 per cent of Cairns’ Gross Regional Product and every $1 million that Council spends supports 9.7 local jobs. Read more
Upcoming Council market days - Dec / Jan
Put bins out earlyA new kerbside waste collection service has started and your collection time may have changed. To make sure your bin isn't missed, please make sure both waste and recycling bins are placed kerbside before 6am on collection day. Be aware that collection times may change from week to week in the short term, as new routes are refined. Nominate a great citizenNominations close tomorrow (Friday 15 December) for the Cairns Region Australia Day Awards. If you know someone in our community who is worthy of recognition, let us know about their achievements by submitting a nomination online. There are seven award categories: Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Cultural Award, Junior Cultural Award, Sportsperson of the Year, Junior Sportsperson of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year (open age). Stay alert to local disastersStay alert this cyclone season with the new Cairns Alert emergency messaging system. This is a localised notification system providing emergency advice via email and SMS before, during and after a disaster event. Sign up online now. Next Council meetingCouncil meetings have concluded for 2017. The next meeting will be an Ordinary Meeting on Wednesday 24 January, 2018. There are no committee meetings in January. View 2018 meeting schedule |