Warrnambool City Council says it is taking a staged approach to the massive Reid Oval upgrade, adding there is no definitive timeline for when works would begin, or how long they would take.
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Council CEO Bruce Anson said the project will cost $12.5 million after Member for Western Victoria James Purcell announced on Saturday he had secured $7 million funding for the project from the state government.
Mr Anson said there was no definitive timeline for when works would begin, or how long they would take.
He said the next step was to solidify a design for the oval and lighting and club facilities.
“We’ve had some quick discussions with the AFL who are offering their specialist advice to us and we will certainly take that opportunity up,” he said.
“Some of the challenges are going to be reducing the number of hours that the oval is used. It is currently used for 28 hours and all the advice says we need to get it down to 20 hours (a week). We have to work through that.”
Mr Anson said they were taking advice from the AFL and turf experts on how long the oval would be out of use for and how long construction would take.
“Geelong took 12 to 18 months when they put a new surface down,” he said. “We are looking to spend a lot of money on our surface. It is too early for me to be definitive.”
Mr Anson said it would be a staged development with the full cost around $12.5 million.
“We have estimated that an initial $10 million will deliver key infrastructure including an oval surface upgrade, 200 lux lighting and changerooms,” he said.
The council will chip in $2 million and there will be discussions with the AFL, Cricket Australia and user groups to make up the extra $1 million for the first stage.
“We have to go to the market and appoint a designer,” he said.
“The relevant recreation and culture and engineering staff are working on getting a designer appointed. We will do that as soon as we possibly can.”
He said the turf overhaul could possibly be started before the building upgrades began.
Warrnambool and District Umpire Association president Steve Walker said the funding boost was “fantastic news”.
“The user groups can sit down pro-actively together and maximise how it (the money) is used. That’s the next step,” he said.
“We will work together. They (council) might be better off saying we have x amount of dollars, what do you need to get done, and we could offer plan a, b, or c. It’s no use being greedy and say ‘it’s all about us’.”
He said he didn’t mind if the work didn’t begin until next season as long as the work was up to the highest standard.
“There’s no use getting someone in now just to get it done,” he said.
“If it’s 12 months down the track, and it doesn’t start until next year, so be it.
“We need to maximise the $7 million and do it properly so it doesn’t need doing again for another 30 or 40 years.”