Wodonga councillors will on Monday night decide a $8.4 million tender for the soccer pavilion at Baranduda Fields, the big-ticket item in stage one of the precinct.
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Hansen Yuncken has been recommended over Zauner and Joss construction companies to deliver the soccer pavilion component of stage one works, as well as two netball courts.
COVID-19 impacts have resulted in the construction costs associated with the tender increasing by 20 per cent, in line with "increases in the cost of materials experienced across the building sector of up to 25 to 30 per cent".
Due to an expected increase in the overall cost of stage one, council staff are also seeking councillors' support to use $2 million in revenue from selling Cafe Grove and land at Whytes Road Baranduda to support a grant application to cover a shortfall.
"Since the execution of the grant in 2020, construction costs have increased significantly," the report states.
"The likely budget required to complete Baranduda Fields Stage 1 has increased by $4 million to $24 million in total.
"An application to partially fund this shortfall has been submitted to the federal government's Building Better Regions Fund (Round 6) to seek additional grant funds for this project and council staff are awaiting the outcome.
"This application, in the sum of $2 million will still require the council to approve an additional $2 million in matching funds."
Significant landscaping and preliminary works have taken place at Baranduda Fields already, with the discovery of Sloane's Froglet one year ago causing some delays.
"An extra 10 metre exclusion buffer has been set around the frog habitat site, with further assessment and planning works to be undertaken in future years," council staff said.
"Large sections of Wodonga Retained Environment Network land have been fenced and will be retained within the precinct."
Stage one works outside of the proposed Hansen Yuncken contact include two soccer fields, an AFL/cricket oval and change rooms.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Wodonga Council and the federal government are each investing $10 million from 2020/21 through to 2022/23.
Council staff have proposed a contingency sum of $860,748 be approved for any latent or unknown conditions in the soccer pavilion construction, bringing the total commitment to $9.4 million.
