Rodney Stevens

Clarence Valley Council General Manager Laura Black will negotiate with tenders for the Regional Aquatic Centre after council almost moved into a confidential session at the July meeting while discussing details of the project.

Following the March 2023 council meeting, tenders for the Regional Aquatic Centre project were called and council received two conforming tenders that have been assessed.

When council staff assessed the tenders, they discovered they were ‘higher than anticipated’.

At the July 25 council meeting, Cr Karen Toms moved the council officer’s recommendation, which was seconded by Cr Debrah Novak, that council:

1. Decline to accept the tender offers for Request for Tender 22/41 Regional Aquatic Facility (Grafton Olympic Pool) as the tenders received were higher than anticipated.
2. Not invite fresh tenders, as it is considered that inviting fresh tenders would not attract additional suitable vendors over and above those already received for this tender.
3. Delegate to the General Manager or her representative to enter into negotiations with one or more of the tenderers with a view to entering into a contract on terms that are appropriate in relation to the subject matter of the tender.
4. Consider the outcome of the negotiations for Request for Tender 22/41 at an extraordinary Council meeting prior to the next Council meeting.

Speaking against the motion, Cr Peter Johnstone said he always wanted to see a ‘more modest’ facility built and hoped the 50-metre pool would be completed first, before waiting until council had the money to replace the functional 25-metre pool.

He said this would be about 1/3 of the cost council have been given.

“It’s now expected we will have at least two summers without an outdoor pool, even if work starts promptly,” he said.

Mayor Ian Tiley warned Cr Johnstone the meeting would have to go into a confidential session if he was going to mention costings for the aquatic centre.

Speaking for the motion, Cr Allison Whaites said councillors had been dealing with the pool issue since January, they had numerous meetings and all the information, so she urged councillors to progress the issue.

When Cr Greg Clancy spoke against the motion stating he always had concerns about the scope and cost of the Aquatic centre, he was warned by Cr Tiley, before Cr Jeff Sith moved a motion to go into a confidential meeting for both the Aquatic Centre tenders and the tenders for the Treelands Drive Community Precinct, which was seconded by Cr Clancy.

Cr Karen Toms spoke against moving into a confidential session as all councillors had the opportunity to ask as many questions as they liked at a meeting on Friday, so she wasn’t sure why they had further questions.

Then Cr Tiley spoke against the motion of going into a confidential meeting as the reports on both items were a pathway to go into negotiations, so council could then return and vote to accept or reject the two tenders.

Cr Bill Day said the two items were the biggest and most controversial this term of council will deal with, and he didn’t want to see any councillor feel they were prevented from participating in these decisions, so in the interest of participation he supported going into a confidential meeting.

The motion was lost 5-4 to go into a confidential meeting.

Cr Toms’ motion was carried 6-3, with Cr’s Clancy, Johnstone and Smith voting against.