Mayor Julia Leu, Shire of Douglas, Queensland, has praised the collective efforts of the Mossman District Nursing Home Committee, The Salvation Army Aged Care Plus and Council to facilitate a much-needed nursing home in Mossman.
The Salvation Army Aged Care Plus held an information session in Mossman to update the community on the project’s progress, and to celebrate the success in achieving the first significant milestones in the delivery of the $12.6 million facility.
More than 150 enthusiastic local residents packed into the Mossman Shire Hall to hear about the designs and program.
Following Council’s decision in 2015 to transfer 15,000 square metres of land valued at $675,000 at no charge to the Salvation Army, the State Government announced in December that Council’s application for grant funding of $544,150 towards the delivery of enabling infrastructure and operational works was successful.
These works will include the development of Council’s adjacent road network, sewerage and drainage, headworks and a substation.
Mayor Leu said the realisation of a nursing home in Mossman was the ultimate reward for the Mossman District Nursing Home Committee which had dedicated thousands of hours to fundraising and lobbying over the past 20 years.
“It is also no coincidence that this project has progressed significantly since the new Douglas Shire Council was established on January 1, 2014.
“Council has worked tirelessly behind-the-scenes to ensure the Mossman nursing home finally gets off the ground, providing funding of $40,000 for the preparation of a robust business case and allocating $80,000 in this year’s budget for costs associated with the development of the Johnston Road site.
“This formidable partnership between Council, the Mossman District Nursing Home and The Salvation Army Aged Care Plus presented the Federal and State Governments with a worthy community project they could not ignore.
“It’s very exciting to see such an important development moving along. The development application was lodged with Council in December and The Salvation Army Aged Care Plus is anticipating early works will start on site in the near future.”
The nursing home is expected to deliver an estimated 41 construction jobs annually over two years, with an estimated 27 full-time employees once it is operational.
Immediate economic benefits will include pathways to training and employment for local school-leavers and trained indigenous staff as well as opportunities for local suppliers and significant flow-on benefits for the wider community.
