$19.6 million Lavington Sportsground redevelopment targets August 2020 completion

The project with a price tag of just under $20 million is the largest of its kind on Albury Council's books presently.

Unsuitable soil dramas dating back to 2017, which led to a $3.2 million blowout, were only the forerunner to more missteps this year.

But, as another year ends, the project is beginning to take shape with sustained dry weather enabling contractors, Hansen Yuncken, to make serious inroads into some of the redevelopment's major elements.

The amenities pavilion to service the second sporting field and grandstand upgrade contract is about 40 per cent completed.

The goal for the new amenities building to be at lock-up stage and for suspended slabs to be installed on the new changerooms as part of the grandstand upgrade will be achieved.

The second playing field has been operational since late September with the first cricket matches played on the ground in late October.

"There has been positive feedback from both the Lavington Panthers Cricket Club and Cricket Albury-Wodonga in relation to the playing surface and wicket," mayor Kevin Mack said.

"Lavington Panthers Cricket Club volunteers have done a great job in preparing the new turf cricket wicket table."

Hansen Yuncken, in recent times, has had 20 workers on-site, but the number of tradies will increase significantly once the grandstand upgrade is at lock-up stage and an extensive fitout begins.

The major features of the grandstand, when completed, include a 150-seat function centre overlooking the main playing arena and grandstand capacity to increase to 1500 people all seated undercover.

The amenities pavilion target completion date is the end of March.

But the project's biggest drama in 2019, which is still to fully play out, was the financial collapse of the contractor appointed by council to complete the first stage works on the secondary playing field.

In early March, Depan Group went into voluntary liquidation with more than 10 sub-contractors who worked on the project impacted.

One of them was Ned Sharkey, who has conceded he has lost around $10,000 he was owed for carting soil to the site from near Berrigan.

"They needed a large amount of sand in a small amount of time," he said.

"I put my invoices in straight away and kept being told I would be paid.

"I didn't have a lot of other work on at the time, but suddenly it all went pear shape."

Mr Sharkey attended a meeting held at the Star Hotel for out of pocket sub-contractors who worked on the project when an estimate of the amount owed locally was stated as being $170,000.

In handing down her report into Depan's demise, liquidator Anne Marie Barley raised the possibility the company could have been trading insolvently since 2016.

The council appointed Depan ahead of Joss Constructions to complete the job in 2017.

"Everything has gone quiet," Mr Sharkey said.

"I'm over $10,000 out of pocket and just want something to happen.

"But there is no money to give out because there are no real assets and the council has to cough up."

When asked about the status of the liquidation process, the council said there were "no further updates" although a conclusion anticipated early in the new year.

In a June 11 closed session of council it was agreed "council further consider payment to sub-contractors involved in the Lavington Sportsground redevelopment project outside of the Depan Group contract and post liquidation".

The payment to sub-contractors was also raised during the federal election campaign when Cr Mack took on Farrer MP Sussan Ley with the latter also putting pressure on council to come to the rescue of out-of-pocket sub-contractors.

She said the $153,000 owed, when considered in comparison to the overall size of the project, was an amount council could comfortably come up with as an act of goodwill.

All defects and omissions under the Depan contract were completed before the secondary sports field's use in September.

Once eventually completed, Lavington Sportsground will be the biggest and best sporting facility of its type between Canberra and Melbourne with the return of major events by the end of the year.

Big Bash cricket practice matches were played at the ground before the redevelopment started and the last AFL practice match to be played there in 2017 between Sydney and St Kilda.

But the council is tight-lipped on whether a major event is being courted to mark the official opening of the redevelopment.

Lavington was also the long-term venue for the Ovens and Murray Football-Netball League grand final before works began.

The 2020 grand final is scheduled for mid-September with the O and M traditionally making a call on where its biggest event is played in June.

The Wangaratta Showgrounds have hosted the last two grand finals.

O and M chairman David Sinclair said the normal tender process for finals matches hosting would be run again.

"If Lavington was ready and available by the end of August it would be in the mix," he said.