November 3rd 2009 Solar Park meeting Following is an important message regarding a Community Meeting Notice from Ergon's Solar Cities on Magnetic Island Community Meeting for proposed Solar Park Solar City Smart Lifestyle Centre 7.30 pm Monday 9 November 64 – 88 Horseshoe Bay Road All welcome Come along and have your say Find out what is possible Work together for the benefit of the community Townsville Queensland Solar City To add your comment, or read those of others, see below

Solar Park meeting

1 comments

Bruce Williams November 3rd 2009

I am aware that there is some discontent in our community about the prospect of a large area of our Community Sports and Recreation acreage in Horseshoe Bay (taken temporarily by the TCC for Ergon's Solar Cities' Program) for use as a demonstration of how efficacious a solar park may be in an energy starved future. I could not attend last week's meeting, so perhaps my concerns were answered at that meeting. Two issues seem to arise: 1. The Solar Car Park (as described by earlier press) is located on an island located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park where there is urgent need to educate the residents away from the use of personal CO2- producing transport to cheaper, less-polluting modes of public transport, and 2. The separation of a significant area from our designated sports training/performance facility for the use of our young people. This is why the TCC allowed the reservation of this land in the 1970's (when there were many fewer young people here than there are today. What guarantees can Ergon and the TCC offer to this community that this land can be returned to its long-term purpose? Has the TCC looked ahead? Has it shot itself in the foot? Does the TCC have in mind another block suited to the use of our growing younger residents? If so, where is it? West Point? For Ergon: MIRRA has been pushing for years for a government-funded trial electric public bus for Magnetic Island. Would not this be a better symbol of their commitment to an energy-savvy future community than this inducement to more consumptive peronal transport?