Archive for the ‘Tower Updates’ Category

Tourist attraction concept gains momentum

Monday, October 2nd, 2006

While the ongoing search for solutions for making the Jimna Fire Tower structure safe for public use as a tourist destination continues, the Jimna Fire Tower Action Group (JFTAG) has focused it’s strategic plan on several fronts. 

FIRSTLY, all material available, including a full set of the original working plans, has been sent to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for presentation to the Queensland Heritage Council meeting expected to take place 20/10/06. This meeting will determine, we hope, that sufficient evidence does exist to justify the commissioning of an engineering report who’s terms of reference will focus on options to redevelop the Jimna Fire Tower into a Tourist Attraction as an alternative to DEMOLITION. 

SECONDLY, letters have been sent to Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service (QPWS) who control the tower site, and Forest Plantations Queensland (FPQ) who own the tower itself, seeking agreement in principal to transfer legal responsibility for the Jimna Fire Tower infrastructure and site to JFTAG. This request was made because it became abundantly clear that it would be a fruitless exercise continuing to negotiate with government departments who’s CORE BUSINESS does NOT include the development and management of TOURIST ATTRACTIONS. 

THIRDLY, talks with business people, concerning the possibility of this project being taken over by private enterprise or a consortium similar to that which operates the extremely successful STORY BRIDGE ADVENTURE CLIMB are continuing. In this regard (JFTAG) welcomes input from any person who may be able to offer suggestions as to how this HISTORIC ICON can be converted from a now unwanted government liability into a must visit TOURIST DESTINATION . 

While JFTAG gathers replies and collates responses to the above issues the campaign to create public awareness and to gain public support is ongoing. Please do not just wish us luck; only PEOPLE POWER will convince the Queensland Government to act in a positive and constructive way so that a fruitful outcome may be made possible.

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Reflections on past JFTAG achievements

Monday, September 25th, 2006
As the dust settles after the recent Queensland state election, and we await confirmation of portfolios which concern the campaign to redevelop the Jimna Fire Tower into a tourist attraction, the Jimna Fire Tower Action Group (JFTAG) feels that it is an appropriate time to reflect on past achievements and reinvigorate our commitment to expected outcomes and goals.
 
It has been just four months since a notice appeared in the Courier Mail requesting that the Queensland Heritage Council (QHC) delist the Jimna Fire Tower from the heritage list for the purpose of demolition, giving just two weeks for the public to submit objections. A seemingly impossible task given the time frame and the soon to be realised fact that less than one in five members of the public were aware that the tower was actually Heritage Listed. Undaunted, JFTAG was quickly formed, hundreds of faxes, letters and emails were sent, with committee members working ten hours a day seven days a week responding to inquiries, resulting in the wonderful QHC ruling that the weight of public submissions and the practical alternatives to demolition submitted by JFTAG justified a stay of execution until all options for the preservation of the Jimna Fire Tower are evaluated.
 
Since that monumental achievement JFTAG has religiously met each Friday to administer a carefully drafted strategic plan which has effectively generated enormous public support, tremendous interest from relevant government departments, weekly media updates, a highly successful fund raising campaign, solid endorsement from local business houses and more recently the much appreciated offers of assistance from professional sources who are generously volunteering their services.
 
It has been a fast and sometimes bumpy roller-coaster ride which has brought many people from all walks of life together in the quest of a common goal, which if successful will bring varied rewards. From the volunteers who may have only been able to contribute by selling a few raffle tickets and only  receiving  the satisfaction of being involved; to future overseas tourists or day trippers who will cherish the experience of climbing the Jimna Fire Tower or the local general store which will sell a few more hamburgers; to the increased traffic patronising Kilcoy Shire’s business houses and tourist operators; and to the larger suppliers and tourist operators of south east Queensland; ALL will receive, and are entitled to, some degree of reward or benefit. As such JFTAG invites any person who may be able to assist by attending some of our weekly Friday meetings from 10am at “Jacks Place”, Mary St., Kilcoy to phone Rhonda Affoo PH 5497 1878 with any query or just turn up.

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Engineers offer JFTAG voluntary advice.

Monday, September 18th, 2006

Recent meetings and ongoing professional advice has clearly resolved that the only way the Jimna Fire Tower can be preserved is for the tower and site to be redeveloped as a self funding Tourist Attraction. Although repairs to the present wooden legs, staircases, decks, and structural members will have to be performed, these components will only comprise a relatively small part of the structural integrity of a redeveloped tower.  

It has been recognised that the feasibility of repairing the present wooden legs, so that their load-bearing capacity would allow future visitors to climb the tower in any sort of numbers, would be a forlorn exercise. The most promising concept to date is to build a steel tower within the wooden tower with bracing intermediate viewing platforms or decks. The legs of this secondary steel tower would be attached to piers located inside the present wooden legs, and public safety requirements such as steel meshed staircases and viewing decks would add additional structural integrity to this innovative proposal. 

Other ideas such as the possible inclusion of sway cables attached to a collar placed high up the tower and anchored to piers located directly out from each leg on ground level has credibility in the quest for solutions for the long-term safe public use of this proposed tourist attraction.

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Environmental Protection Agency meeting

Monday, September 11th, 2006

Vital discussions took place last Friday 8/9/06 with officers from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the proposed Queensland Heritage Council  engineering review of the Jimna Fire Tower. Dialogue focused on the “Expected Outcome” of this review which was successfully identified as being to redevelop the Jimna Fire Tower and Site as a “Tourist Attraction”.

The Jimna Fire Tower Action Group (JFTAG) submitted draft plans and reports which were collated over past consultations with builders and engineers and supported by a full set of the original structural drawings of the tower. The EPA deputation was extremely receptive to JFTAG’S input and were reassuring in their commitment to evaluate every possible option to the demolition of this valuable heritage listed tourist icon. This of course was JFTAG’S original goal which, thankfully, will now become a reality, along with other positive outcomes from the meeting including possible funding opportunity’s, and comparisons with other government controlled heritage listed places which have become excess to requirements and have subsequently been transferred to other bodies including private enterprise.

With a firm agreement to recommend that JFTAG be included in the consultation process with QHC before the new engineering brief or terms of reference are finalised, JFTAG could not have procured a more satisfactory result.

After lunch at Jacks Place, Kilcoy Eatery, the EPA party travelled to Jimna where an on-site inspection of the tower and nearby Peach Trees Camping Grounds culminating with a visit to the Jimna Hall Historical Association’s information centre, left the party in no doubt as to the tourism potential of not only the Jimna Fire Tower but also of the high country within Kilcoy Shire.

JFTAG invites any person or group who may be able to offer some assistance to move this project forward in a positive manner, to feel free to call in at Jacks Place, Mary St., Kilcoy, any Friday between 10am and 12 noon

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Kilcoy Stanley Hotel fundraising dinner

Monday, September 4th, 2006

As momentum for the Jimna Fire Tower and site to be redeveloped into a tourist attraction steadily gathers, the fund raising dinner held last Thursday evening at the Stanley Hotel, Kilcoy, has galvanised a broad section of the Kilcoy shire business community into a united resolve to move this project forward. The management and staff of the Stanley Hotel set the scene for this wonderful night by their meticulous attention to detail with regard to the new B.B.Q deck layout and table decorations which celebrated the anniversary of this first class function venue.

Pre-dinner drinks and mingling provided patrons with the opportunity to meet and welcome guest speakers while also prompting enthusiastic discussion in relation to the future of the Jimna fire tower. From mayor Terry Dredge, who highlighted the importance of the towers tourist dollar value to Kilcoy shire, and Penny Cook who has pledged to seek funding avenues, to our state election candidates Dorothy Pratt and John Bjelke/Petersen’s unerring commitment and Mike Horan’s announcement of total redevelopment coalition funding, the Jimna Fire Tower has won many friends and supporters. Executive director of the Woodford folk festival, Bill Hauritz, provided a fitting finale to a magnificent program by relating the Jimna fire tower to a “symbol”. The tower, Bill emphasised, is a “symbol” which has brought everybody together, it is the “symbol” of united and strong community support for the towers survival, and it will be an everlasting “symbol” of community achievement for the future.

The Jimna Fire Tower Action Group wishes to express extreme gratitude to the guest speakers who gave of their valuable time; to the generous donors of the impromptu raffle prizes; the Stanley Hotel management, Lisa and staff, and last but not least to those who attended and made this function such a successful fund raiser for the Jimna fire tower.

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REPAIR COSTING AND OWNERSHIP OPTIONS TO BE ASSESSED BY FORESTRY PLANTATIONS QLD (FPQ)

Sunday, January 29th, 2006
Following the 19/01/07 meeting between Forestry Plantations Queensland (FPQ), (which is the commercial arm of the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, current owners of the Jimna Fire Tower) and the Jimna Fire Tower Action Group (JFTAG), notification was given that FPQ were currently undertaking an assessment of repair costing and future ownership options for the Jimna Fire Tower with a time frame of 2 to 3 months.The FPQ deputation headed by Deputy Chief Executive Mr Garry Hannigan, advised the meeting that, while FPQ recognises the towers’ Heritage Significance, and is also aware of  the towers’ tourism potential for both Kilcoy Shire and South East Queensland, public safety issues were of paramount importance, and that FPQ was duty bound to address these concerns appropriately.
 
Mr Hannigan reassured the meeting that while demolition of the tower would not be an option during the FPQ costing and ownership assessment process, that he could not guarantee that demolition would not be the end result, however Mr Hannigan undertook to have further discussions with JFTAG, after consideration had been given to future options.” .  Although all of the above is, at face value, good news for Jimna Fire Tower, it was generally agreed that the ultimate future of the tower will mainly depend on:

(1) The feasibility of the project 

(2) The willingness of a new owner to take responsibility 

(3) The availability of adequate funding programs and 

(4) The extent of public and corporate support.

JFTAG welcomes aboard Roger Todd and Vic Godley who bring valuable expertise in architecture and engineering to our committee. Sincere thanks to both Roger and Vic who generously gave of their time to attend the FPQ/JFTAG meeting. Please be advised that future JFTAG meetings will be held each second and each fourth Friday of each month while Jimna Fire Tower news updates will continue to be released weekly.

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