Brisbane parks may soon be getting more hygienic and Brisbane climate appropriate barbecue facilities designed by a QUT industrial design student, after Forest Lake Councillor pushed for a better version of these barbecues.
The Council is encouraging QUT students to submit entries for new barbecue design offering a $2,000 prize for the best design. This comes after Councillor Charles Strunk called for the upgrade of barbecues at Brisbane parks. Currently, 20 percent of the 200 barbecues are still of the wood fired kind. However, even the electric and gas heated ones are also unsatisfactory to him.
“Looking forward to working with our very bright university students to deliver better BBQ’s for our community. I’m delighted as the local Councillor to have initiated such a wonderful opportunity and project,” Cr Strunk said on his Facebook post.
Councillor Strunk’s proposal was sparked by Brisbane City Council Environment, Parks and Sustainability Chairman David McLachlan’s comment that the public should be cleaning up after using the barbecue facilities. Cr McLachlan said that barbecue cleaning costs for over than 100,000 barbecue plates is more than $320,000 annually.
Cr Strunk instead suggested that Council should look for practical solutions. He said that the new barbecues are still following the old design which are not suited for Brisbane’s subtropical climate. The design also does not promote and maintain good public hygiene as the open plates tend to be easily contaminated, according to Cr Strunk. “Brisbane City’s barbecues are anything but sizzling,” he added.
Aside from being practical and national standard compliant, Cr Strunk wants the barbecue new design to have its heating adjustable, have an auxiliary heat source, and have a water source.
The cost associated with the plan, including the development of teaching materials for the design course, is about $8,000.