The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts continues to deliver a range of infrastructure, heritage, environmental and community projects across the Island.
At the Norfolk Island Health and Residential Aged Care Service (NIHRACS), fire protection upgrades to critical communications and electrical infrastructure areas are currently in the design phase. Subject to final planning, works are expected to commence early in the new year.
Last week, the backup generator at NIHRACS received a major service and comprehensive systems check thanks to the outstanding efforts of JE Electrical, Norfolk Electricity's electricians and the Powerhouse mechanics. We would like to sincerely thank these local teams for their expertise, time and commitment in helping maintain this critical piece of infrastructure. Their support plays an important role in ensuring the hospital remains prepared when back-up power is needed most.
Through ongoing preventative maintenance and the continued collaboration of skilled local contractors and workers, this vital asset will continue to provide reliable support to the hospital and help safeguard essential health services for our community for years to come.
Efforts to support Norfolk Island's long-term water security continue at Teeny Menzies Well. This project will help strengthen water resilience and support sustainable water services for the community. Recent works include the installation of a protective fence and construction of a small filtration shed to support water supply to the hospital laundry and provide a back-up water source for NIHRACS. Water from the well has undergone local and off-island testing, helping to ensure this important project delivers reliable and sustainable benefits for both the hospital and the broader community.
The Mawson Units project continues to move forward as part of the Department's broader asset improvement program. Final designs are currently being prepared for review and endorsement by NIHRACS staff before the project is released to market. An important milestone has already been achieved, with the final stage of internal strip-out work across the six units now complete. This early preparation work will help ensure the refurbishment can get under way as quickly as possible once the design phase is finalised.
Several projects at Norfolk Island Central School continue to support improved facilities for students, staff and the wider school community. These upgrades are helping to create environments that support learning and wellbeing. With the warmer months approaching, we are exploring the replacement of older windows across the school to improve comfort in classrooms. Planning is also under way for upgrades to the main entrance and bus shed surfaces, helping to enhance safety and accessibility around the school grounds. We are also exploring back-up power for the toilet block and sports pavilion. These improvements would help strengthen the school's resilience during power outages while supporting more sustainable energy use in the future.
Work is continuing across the Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic Area (KAVHA), supporting the conservation, maintenance and enhancement of one of Norfolk Island's most significant heritage precincts. The Department is continuing to progress the Bounty Street Bridge project, an important investment in the preservation of Norfolk Island's heritage infrastructure and community safety. Higher than average rainfall over recent years have created challenges for the next stage of construction. To ensure the work is carried out safely and effectively, the project has been paused while engineers review and improve the water exclusion measures required for the next phase of works. The assessment and redesign work is expected to take around three to four weeks. Taking this additional time now will help minimise the risk of further delays later in the project and support a safer and more effective construction process.
While the original goal was to complete the project before Christmas, the revised completion timeframe is now expected to be late January. The Department acknowledges this may be disappointing for the community, however it is important that the work is completed properly and safely.
Work continues on the proposed Greenkeepers Shed replacement within KAVHA, one of several projects aimed at improving the infrastructure that supports the maintenance and presentation of this important World Heritage landscape. The project has recently achieved a key milestone, with the Development Application accepted by NIRC Planning and now progressing to public exhibition. The proposal will be available for community review and comment for a period of two weeks, after which submissions will be considered as part of the planning assessment process. Updates will continue to be provided as the project progresses through approvals and towards delivery.
At No 8 Quality Row, roofing works are progressing well, with the western hips and the courtyard and Quality Row roadside sections of the main roof now complete. The existing tiles, battens and lead flashing have been removed and replaced with new Belgian tiles, battens and Enviroseal membrane. New insulation batts have also been installed within the roof/ceiling cavity.
New lead flashing has been installed around the western chimney, together with a new lead box gutter to the lower roof section above the laundry, with ridge and barge flashing installed to about three-quarters of the main roof. Painting of the main roof fascia facing Quality Row and laundry areas on the western end of No 8 has been completed. Guttering has also been installed to these sections in preparation for the removal of the veranda tiles and assessment of the ceiling space for asbestos.
