Board president Ron Cummins confirmed yesterday the directors were awaiting rezoning of 6ha near Parkers Road that the city council sought a year ago to rezone to special uses in order to facilitate redevelopment.

Once rezoning receives ministerial approval, the council can activate the club’s development application for commercial-hotel use and may also proceed to seek approval for housing on adjoining land.

The land isn’t part of the golf course’s playing area and it’s likely the club will market it for sale with a permit.

Mr Cummins was commenting after his board held a confidential two-day “think tank’’ at Wagga this month with new chief executive Tim Levesque.

“We want to keep the SS & A Wodonga club but it must make a profit or at least be cost-neutral,’’ Mr Cummins said.

Last year the Wodonga club made a $523,444 operating loss, while the Albury (Olive Street) club made an $819,302 profit and the bowls club in Young Street a small loss.

The SS & A as a whole turned around a $1.34 million loss in 2008 to a $236,000 loss for 2008-09.

Mr Cummins said the parent club had wiped the Wodonga debt when the clubs merged, then spent $3 million on refurbishing, for which a debt remained.

Meanwhile, the Wodonga club’s 60 poker machines will most likely be cut to 40 in 2012 because of pending changes in the way gambling is handled in Victoria.

In Albury, the board has been unable to proceed further with buying the Young Street (Winsor Park) freehold from NSW State Rail.

Mr Cummins said that State Rail, despite promises to end the seven-year negotiations, had still not provided a valuation or specified covenants it might seek.

“When we met at Wagga, we had nothing to discuss (about the purchase) as we didn’t have a dollar figure,’’ he said.

Another minister needs to be consulted before an offer is made.

Mr Levesque said last night that the board would keep the 24,000 members informed.