BORDER creditors are set to lose $153,000 due to the collapse of the firm charged by Albury Council with revamping Lavington Sportsground.
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Ten unsecured creditors in Albury are owed $70,000, eight in Lavington also have $70,000 due, and three in Wodonga are $13,000 short.
The figures were supplied by liquidator Anne Marie Barley who was appointed on Friday to wind-up Depan Group, which was commissioned last year by Albury Council to redevelop the ovals.
Overall Depan Group owes more than $1.5 million with $930,000 due to secured creditors and $620,000 tied to unsecured creditors.
"According to what they've given us their only asset is a truck and trailer which is secured by a financier," Ms Barley said.
The Brisbane-based liquidator said it was "unlikely" the unsecured creditors, who include Border tradies, a motel and Albury Council would recover any of their losses.
Depan's sole director listed in documents provided by the company to Ms Barley is Ana Coward, although her partner Robert House has previously been identified as the face of the firm.
A former Depan employee, who worked on the Lavington project, believes Albury Council should have done more research about Mr House, noting a company he directed, RHA Australia Pty Ltd, left a Queensland council with an unpaid debt of $347,947 in 2016.
"It just upsets me that Albury City Council wouldn't Google his name," he said referring to a newspaper report he found about Mr House's actions with Gladstone Council.
Councillor Murray King defended the city.
"You can only keep digging so much, the finances stacked up, the referees stacked up, and it (the tender) was $500,000 cheaper than the next one," Cr King said.
"We're pretty much damned if we do, damned if we don't - $500,000 is a lot of money on a $2 million job.
"It's far from an ideal situation and $150,000 shared between mum and dad operators in Albury-Wodonga has a significant impact on their business I'm sure and certainly council will be looking to the executive of Albury City Council as to actual amounts and what options are open to us."
The next highest bidder for the task was Albury company Joss Construction.
Ms Barley will produce a report in two to three months outlining what she has discovered about Depan's fall.
