Contractor forced to pull down road closure sign

GLENVALE Convenience Plus owner Adam Sack was driving to work at 4am on Saturday when he first saw the sign saying Greenwattle St would be closed from yesterday.

GLENVALE Convenience Plus owner Adam Sack was driving to work at 4am on Saturday when he first saw the sign saying Greenwattle St would be closed from yesterday.

After delays on the Coles project across the road which had seen the adjoining Glenvale Rd partly closed for two months longer than was originally intended and a resulting $20,000 drop in turnover per month, it was the last straw for Mr Sack.

But the Toowoomba Regional Council didn't know about the closure either.

Mayor Paul Antonio said an application to close Greenwattle St had not been approved by the council - and the contractor was asked to take down the signage immediately - which it did, yesterday.

"At some point in the near future a full closure of Greenwattle St will be required but this will need to be approved by council first," Cr Antonio said.

"We're willing to work with the applicant on this matter but need to ensure that consideration is given to limiting the impact of construction works on both road users and residents in the area.

"This is a project owned by Coles Supermarkets, and it's important they work with their developers, contractors and consultants to ensure they are following the right processes and doing the right thing by our community.

"It's the responsibility of the contractor to communicate effectively with our residents on this matter, and their failure to do so is causing undue anxiety to our local community."

For Mr Sack and his fellow business owners, it's been one thing after another of late.

First it was the closure of Glenvale Rd, then the COVID-19 restrictions hit.

"We're down approximately 70% in turnover just from the pandemic alone," he said.

"My stress levels are through the roof at the moment.

"We don't know what's going on, we don't know if we can afford to stay open.

"It's a matter of bankruptcy for us."

Mr Sack said he and other businesses in the region were crying out for support, and that JobKeeper payments were yet to come through.

"I understand what's happening with the pandemic and having to close everything down and stop everything, I understand that: But where's the support?"

Toowoomba South MP David Janetzki said Toowoomba Regional Council needed to urgently deliver a financial relief package for ratepayers across the region. 

"There is no time to waste," he said. 

"A top priority should be to help these small family businesses in Glenvale."