Rodney Stevens

Clarence Valley Council is continuing with its push to demolish Yamba’s Treelands Drive Community Centre with a recission motion to be considered by councillors at the February 28 meeting to reverse December’s decision to vary the current design.

As Grafton Pool needs replacing, councillors resolved at last November’s meeting to apply to transfer a $11.1 million Bushfire Local Economic Recovery BLER grant allocated for the Treelands Drive Community Centre TDCC to the pool project, as the funds could not be expended on the TDCC before the June 2024 grant deadline.

Then at the December meeting councillors resolved to:

1. Investigate a contract variation with the current design contract for the detailed design of option B.
2. Allocate $728,818 spent on design of Option A to the General Fund as a Deficit.
3. Retain Wooli Street Hall.

Proceeding with the December council resolutions wouldn’t have required the demolition of the existing, 22-year-old TDCC, with council estimates of $8 million to proceed with Option B.

But now CVC has been advised that using the BLER grant, which has been extended until June 2025 for Option B, the construction of a new library, does not meet grant guidelines or the approved funding allocation.

This ‘new information’ has seen CVC revert back to Option A, which is 95 per-cent designed and can be implemented quickly, so the recently estimated $14,548,183 project can be delivered by December 2024.

“Treelands Drive Community Hub will house the functions and facilities for the expanding Yamba community,” council papers state.

“The Hub will include a library, a more efficient community centre, an art gallery, a dedicated youth space, a visitor information hub, commercial kitchen and improve the accessibility of services to the community.

“The facility will also serve as a community refuge hub in times of natural disaster.”

Council’s cost escalation projections for the TDCC indicate project costs are increasing at 1 per-cent per month, or $140,500 for each month the project is delayed.

This comes despite repeated calls from the Yamba Community Action Network Yamba CAN not to demolish the TDCC and expand the existing centre.

A number of Yamba CAN members attended the council meeting on February 28 as a display of solidarity against councils’ attempt to demolish the existing centre.

As the TDCC is considered a regionally significant project, The Northern Regional Planning Panel will consider the DA on March 14 or 15, council has been advised.

Council called for expressions of interest from contractors for the TDCC in May 2022 and received submissions from seven contractors, shortlisting four.

At the February 28 meeting council staff have recommended councillors:

1. Reaffirm support for design Option A for construction of the Yamba Community Precinct project;
2. Endorse the proposed funding strategy identified in the Budget/Financial section of the report, with confirmation to be reported at the time of awarding the contract.
3. Retain ownership of the Wooli Street Hall and consider possible uses on completion of the TDCC project.
4. Invite the following shortlisted contractors to submit tenders for construction of the Yamba Community Precinct project, Bennet Construction, Alder Construction, Hinds Construction, and BARPA Construction Services.

The Clarence Valley Independent will report on the outcome of the CVC meeting in the March 8 edition.