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www.wangarattachronicle.com.au
MP raises patient issues with hospital in parliament
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Monday, June 27, 2022
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Sport
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED OXLEY Primary School community members including (back) principal Tim Seal, school council president Bruce Uebergang and foundation teacher Bernadette BlancePalmer, with (front, from left) students Robbie Eads, Xavier Conroy, Harry Perkins, Tom Vogels, Peyton Cathie, Imogen Booth, Anika Forster, Claire Martin and Audrey Hester, are thrilled with their new facilities. PHOTO: Kurt Hickling ■ Story page 2
$3.92M PRICE RISE Material,, labour p price increases blowout city’s y sports p centre expansion p budget g to $ $12.38m
EXPANSION works to the Wangaratta Sports and Aquatic Centre (WSAC) mainly involving an enlargement of the facility’s indoor stadium are set to cost $12.38 million, some $3.92m more than council’s budgeted allocation. Wangaratta councillors will tomorrow night be asked to sign off on the cost blowout caused by a
BY STEVE KELLY skelly@ nemedia.com.au
price increase in materials and labour, and award the contract to Sothern Cross Developers Pty Ltd. Expansion works of WSAC includes redevelopment and expansion of the indoor
stadium, with multipurpose courts (netball, basketball and volleyball), two new courts, upgrading one show court to competition level including additional seating and a major gym expansion. Council has already committed a $3m cash contribution in its 2020/21 budget to be added to a State Government Community
Sports Infrastructure Stimulus Fund grant it received to the value of $5.46m, the sum of both equally $8.46m. The agenda item details that since the development of the funding application and more so during the design phase of this project, there have been significant unforeseen increases in material and labour costs
due to the global pandemic. “Materials such as steel, timber, and concrete have increased in cost by 30 per cent plus,” it reads. Council reports that these significant changes are being caused by both local and international factors, including supply chain issues and labour shortages, and have recently been further impacted by rising
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fuel prices. “Council officers have reviewed the costings internally and externally several times over the life of the project removing several non-essential items from the works package, and the final cost estimate was less than 1pc off the proposed award price,” their report notes. ■ Continued page 2