Wahgunyah’s first men’s shed will sit empty after a grant to set it up was largely reabsorbed by the state government.
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A $26,500 grant was awarded in 2015 for the construction of the slab and shed next to the Wahgunyah Racecourse and Recreation Reserve buildings.
Indigo Shire Council provided a further $8500 to fit the shed out with water, electricity and all the relevant additions.
But the men's shed’s welfare officer Alan Pleitner said almost all of the council grant had gone to paying environmental offset fees, dealing with a rotting tree at the site.
“We paid to get an arborist in to make a decision for what his recommendations were, then provided that to DELWP and council,” he said.
“He saw it as okay to use as a habitat tree, but we would have had to continue to monitor its base, as whether alive or dead, it would fall.”
DELWP approved the building permit with the condition the tree be poisoned and retained as a habitat tree, but ruled $4581 in offset credits for the death of the tree had to be paid.
President Len Carlson said by the time this bill and the arborist were paid, there was less than $1000 of grant money left, with the shed set to arrive next week.
“It was an elastic band grant,” he said.
“We’ll have an empty shell – just the dust extractor is going to cost $9000 – we’re going to have to start belting the drum somewhere else to get more money.”
Mr Carlson said the group had no interest in removing trees, but with no other suitable sites being accessible to water and power, and plenty of saplings sprouting up around the reserve, he said being slapped with the bill for an already rotting tree was illogical.
“The arborist said it would fall within years – if it fell on a kid, what would be the cost then?” he said.
Mr Pleitner said his fellow members just wanted the whole ordeal to be done with.
“This has been going for 12 months and when things started moving, this held us up,” he said.
“Twenty-eight members could have been in there by now.”
DELWP Environment and Natural Resources regional manager Sue Berwick said the men’s shed was an important community project.
“Working with the Indigo Shire Council, DELWP will continue to provide advice and support on how to best mitigate impacts on native vegetation,” she said.
“Our staff will seek a further meeting with council and men’s shed to work through the issues which have been raised.”
