Existing residents have had two meetings with Council in the last week

• Residents, Councillors and staff meeting on 30 September 2024

Residents met at Council's Tewantin chambers at 5pm on Monday 30 September. Attending for Council were Mayor Wilkie, Deputy Mayor Stockwell, Councillors Finzel, Lorentson, and Wilson, CEO Larry Sengstock, Planning head Kim Rawlings, and planning staff Glen Conforti and Ross Smith. Council's Infrastructure Communications and Consultation Officer Rachel Lawrence attended for the first time.

Mayor Wilkie invited Paul Noonan to make a presentation of the resident's counter-proposal which was very well received by Councillors and planning staff. Council has agreed to examine the resident's counter-proposal for suitability as the site development model moving forward. This is a very significant milestone.

The proposal states that if residents can be satisfied that the remediation of the northern night-soil disposal area (more than the volume of 3 Olympic swimming pools) can be undertaken safely, then approx. 20 units of social/affordable housing could be built on 62LMD, and they can have an onsite recreation area. 1.7 hectares of cemetery expansion land could be reserved (more than twice Council's proposal). Cooroy Cemetery could be enhanced by addition of a bushland internment area within the Gympie Messmates. Local ecological values could be enhanced by the restoration of the spring fed ephemeral creek. The majority of the southern contaminated area can be left untouched and the contaminated material not disturbed. That area can be managed via a Site Management Plan which permits permanent retention of most (and potentially nearly all) of the pine forest.

After the above discussion residents were able to ask questions of Council attendees until 6:30pm.